


then why's it feel so good?

by LFTPD



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Ben Wyatt, Blow Jobs, Coming Untouched, Cunnilingus, Dom Leslie Knope, F/M, Face-Sitting, Intercrural Sex, Kink Negotiation, Light Bondage, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Nipple Clamps, Nipple Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Phone Sex, Praise Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Service Submission, Spanking, Sub Ben Wyatt, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:47:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFTPD/pseuds/LFTPD
Summary: “I’m Deputy Director Leslie Knope,” she said, and suddenly the world stopped spinning.She was small and blonde, completely different from any of the doms Ben had dated in the past. That didn’t stop him from wanting to drop to his knees right then and there.aka, soulmate AU where everyone has the name of their dom/sub written on their wrist
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 40
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

Ben Wyatt had traveled to 46 cities in the past 11 years working for the Indiana government. He’d had beer bottles thrown at his head in Angola and been told he was a sorry excuse for a submissive in Huntingburg. People really didn’t like government officials coming in to slash their city’s budget, and they liked it even less when the man responsible was a submissive. After a few too many death threats, they’d realized that it wasn’t safe for him on his own anymore, and paired him with a dom. Despite his status, Chris Traegar didn’t mind letting Ben take the reins, and together they managed to get things done. Chris was all smiles and assurances that everything was going to work out great, and then Ben swooped in and burned everything to the ground.

Today didn’t feel any different from the start of any new placement. Chris woke up at the crack of dawn to go for a run, and then they drove over to Pawnee’s City Hall together. For a town on the brink of collapse, Ben had to admit that they had a nice government building. He and Chris settled into their new office, and then started the slow process of meeting each of the departments. The first day was always rough. He let Chris take the lead, partly because it worked best that way and partly because it was what was expected. Whenever Chris and Ben walked into a room, eyes always jumped to Chris first. People seemed to know Ben was a submissive with just a glance before they even looked at the cuffs on his wrists.

“Chris Traeger,” Chris said when they entered the Parks and Recreation Department. “This is Ben.”

Ben was still looking around the space, slightly distracted by the mismatched wall hangings and posters, when he heard it.

“I’m Deputy Director Leslie Knope,” she said, and suddenly the world stopped spinning.

Ben had been waiting to hear that name for years. He could still remember the first time he’d read it on his sixteenth birthday. He’d stayed home from school, staring down at his wrists and waiting for a name to appear on one of them. He’d only been a little surprised when it was his left arm instead of his right, and then spent weeks wondering if Leslie was a man’s name or a woman’s, and how he was ever going to tell his Dad if his soulmate was a man. As the years went by and the internet became more and more mainstream, he’d always been tempted to try to find her on his own. He’d typed her name into Google countless times, but he’d never pressed enter. There was a part of him—an embarrassing part of him—that was a little bit of a romantic. He’d leave it up to fate, he’d decided, or at least let his dom be the one to reach out. His campaign had made national news; if someone wanted to find him, they could. But Leslie Knope had never reached out.

All of this flashed through his mind as he looked over at her, the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with. She was small and blonde, completely different from any of the doms he’d dated in the past. That didn’t stop him from wanting to drop to his knees right then and there.

Revealing your soulmate was a private thing, though, especially before you were officially bonded. There was a reason that everyone wore cuffs or bracelets or watches over their soulmarks. Ben hadn’t shared the name of his soulmate with anyone, and a quick glance to Leslie’s right hand showed that she had hers covered as well. Well, technically she had both wrists covered. Hiding your designation was becoming more common in progressive circles; it was meant to prevent people from stereotyping and to make interactions more equitable. Ben had tried it for a few years, but it had never made much of a difference. He had a feeling that people picked up on Leslie’s designation just as easily. She had a commanding presence. He couldn’t look away.

She didn’t know his last name yet, and he couldn’t handle a second longer without his soulmate knowing the truth.

“Wyatt,” Ben said in a voice that was slightly too loud, and everyone in the room looked at him. “My name is Ben Wyatt—Benjamin.” Leslie’s eyes widened, and he watched them flick over his left wrist for a brief moment.

“Right, well, would you gentlemen like a tour?” Leslie asked, sounding only slightly flustered. She wasn’t acknowledging the revelation, which Ben took as a sign that she didn’t want to discuss this at work. That was fine. Ben could be professional. He’d get through the first day of budget meetings, and then he’d find her after work. They’d go someplace private and talk, and show each other the names on their wrists. Ben let Leslie lead them around the small office, trying to ignore how she took charge confidently. He needed to put all of that out of his mind, or he was going to end up embarrassing himself. His slacks were not very forgiving.

Chris led them all in a pep talk, and Ben leaned against a shelf and looked down at his shoes. He couldn’t help but wonder if he looked submissive. Did Leslie like what she saw? When he glanced up at her, though, she wasn’t looking at him at all. Her eyes were locked on Chris, grinning widely at what he said. That didn’t bode well. He almost asked Chris to stay with him during his initial meeting, since his stomach was already in knots. But he wanted to do this. He wanted to prove to Leslie that he could do this. He could sit across a conference table with her and her boss, and act like today was just a normal day.

“I really like your shirt,” Leslie said as he got out his notes, and he could already feel himself flushing. Normally, he’d assume that she was just sucking up to him. He’d seen it before. People seemed to think that if they stroked his ego, he’d go buckling to his knees and let them walk all over him. But this was his soulmate, and so the compliment actually landed. He smiled slightly, forcing himself to look up and meet her eyes.

“So, I’d like to talk about where you think there’s waste in your department,” Ben said. He was proud of himself for getting through the entire sentence without stuttering. Ron started questioning, and Ben felt himself grow more confident. Maybe afterward, Leslie would tell him he’d done a good job, he thought, and then quickly shook the thought away. He moved to his first bullet point, asking about a man named Jerry Gergich. That was the first sign that maybe this meeting wasn’t going as well as he’d thought.

Leslie fiercely defended Jerry’s position, and Ben could feel his fingers start to shake. He held her gaze, letting her know that he’d have to cut their budget significantly.

“Chris said that you just had to tinker with some things,” Leslie said, and it was hard not to flinch under the severity of her gaze. Ben had never had a problem standing up to doms before. He wouldn’t let anyone push him around, especially not at work. He might have been a submissive, but he was a professional above all else. When it was his dom staring him down, however, it was a whole lot harder not to buckle.

“Yeah, he said that because it sounds a lot better than we’re going to gut it with a machete,” Ben responded. He’d meant it as a joke, but he could tell from her face that it came out a lot harsher than he’d intended. Ron had started giggling, and Ben barely had a chance to take that in before Leslie responded.

“You’re a jerk,” she said, and Ben felt like he was falling. He had heard so much worse, but this was his soulmate. His dom. He’d just met her, and he’d already somehow let her down. He felt like he might throw up.

“I’m sorry?” he said, and it came out more like an apology than a question. She stormed on, and Ben realized that he needed to get out of this conference room as soon as he possibly could. His facade of professionalism was about to come crashing down, and he needed to leave before anyone could see how much her anger was affecting him. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself in sub drop. He couldn’t handle the embarrassment of so many strangers seeing him like that.

“I’ll get what I need from the spreadsheets,” he said, fumbling for the door as he left. He kept his head down, nearly sprinting towards his office as soon as he was far enough away that she wouldn’t see. Chris wasn’t there, thankfully.

He locked the door to their office, sinking down to sit against it on the floor. His head was spinning. He’d been dreaming of meeting Leslie Knope for years. Every girl he’d dated, every dom he’d knelt for had just been practice for when he finally met the one. She was supposed to take care of him. She was supposed to tell him he was a good boy and be proud of him. Instead, it seemed Ben Wyatt had pissed off fate enough to give him a soulmate that hated him.

* * *

“Alright, out,” Leslie snapped at Tom as she went back into her office. “I need privacy.”

“I can’t leave,” Tom said, not even looking up from his monitor. “The new pocket squares from Armani are about to drop, and if I miss it—”

“Out!” Leslie snapped, letting her dom voice drop to make Tom startle. She didn’t use it often. It was unprofessional, and she loathed seeing doms—usually men—throwing their voices around at submissives to get what they wanted. Even still, she didn’t have time to argue with Tom right now.

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving,” he said, grabbing his things and scurrying out of the office. Leslie could see everyone looking over at her through the glass, and she glared until they looked away. She put her head in her hands, trying to clear her head enough to think. She didn’t know what she was angrier about: that her soulmate was a jerk, or that she might lose vital funding for her department. This was not how meeting her soulmate was supposed to go.

Benjamin Wyatt. She’d dreamed about meeting him for years. She’d seen his face for the first time years ago in an issue of People Magazine. She was shocked; her submissive seemed to share her political aspirations, and he was easy on the eyes too. There was a chance that the Benji Wyatt who was named mayor of his hometown wasn’t the same Benjamin Wyatt on her wrist, but somehow Leslie just knew that he was the one. She’d been head over heels.

She’d also been terrified. She was a feminist. She knew that things had changed. Subs were part of the workforce, and it was more and more common to see female doms. (There had always been female doms, of course, but now they were more socially acceptable to talk about.) People’s designations didn’t dictate their entire lives; a submissive could take charge in the boardroom and then drop to their knees in the bedroom. It didn’t matter that her soulmate was leading his hometown while the only election she’d ever won was for her student council. She didn’t need to be more impressive than Ben Wyatt for him to love her. She knew that, but she had a hard time believing it.

She wanted to impress him. She wanted to be someone impressive enough to deserve him. She’d thrown herself into her school work and then her job at the Parks Department in hopes that one day, she’d feel good enough. She hadn’t seen him in People again, and she hadn’t sought him out. She hadn’t followed his career, but she knew he was probably out doing bigger and better things.

Auditing for the State to defund her programs wasn’t one of the things she’d imagined. She wasn’t sure how to reconcile the Ben in front of her—callous, scathing, heartless—with the Ben she’d built up in her head for the past decade.

She groaned against her hands, reaching for the phone on her desk. Ann would know how to fix this. Ann always knew what to do. She thought she remembered that Ann was getting lunch with Mark today, but clearly, this was more important than her ex-boyfriend.

“Leslie, I’m at JJ’s, can I call you back?” Ann answered.

“This is an emergency,” Leslie said, shaking her head. “In fact, get me an order of waffles to go and get here as soon as you can.”

“A real emergency?” Ann asked skeptically. “Or did Tom call you out of touch again?”

“A real, very big emergency,” Leslie said, her eyes darting up to make sure no one was looking at her through the glass. “I met my soulmate,” she hissed into the phone.

“Oh my god, Leslie! That’s amazing,” Ann started, and Leslie groaned into the phone.

“It is the exact opposite of amazing, Ann. My sub is a jerk and I’m going to be miserable for the rest of my life,” she wailed.

Ann arrived twenty minutes later with two boxes of waffles and a tub of whipped cream, which probably clued the rest of the office in on the fact that something was going on. Leslie dug into her waffles and started in on the story of their brief first encounter.

“He said he wanted to gut it with a machete! He’s cruel, and emotionless, and doesn’t care about anything but numbers,” Leslie said as she neared the end of her rant. “How can I be stuck with someone like that?”

“I think you might need to take a step back from the situation,” Ann said in a soft voice, which was the opposite of what Leslie wanted to hear. “He’s just doing his job, it sounds like. You don’t know anything about what he’s like outside of work.”

“And I don’t want to know,” Leslie said definitively around a bite of waffle. “And maybe my submissive is some other Benjamin Wyatt, one who cares about the Parks Department and wasn’t sent from hell to destroy it!”

“Oh boy,” Ann said, sipping her coffee. “Well, it sounds like April’s party might be exactly the distraction you need.”

“You’re right,” Leslie nodded. “I’m going to get drunk, and find some cute little sub and grind on him until I forget all about Ben Wyatt.”

When they got to the Snakehole, Ann did her best to keep Leslie distracted. She ordered them both drinks and told Leslie about her lunch with Mark. They weren’t soulmates, of course, but Leslie had really thought they’d be able to make it work. Ann had been happy with Mark, she’d thought, but Leslie could understand why she’d ended things. It was hard to settle for anyone else when Ann knew her dom was still out there.

That brought the subject to turn back to Ben. Ann tried to steer it towards the budgeting issues rather than Ben himself, asking about what that meant for the fate of her park. That sent Leslie spiraling further into hatred for Ben. Not only was he going to make her fire Jerry, but he was going to crush the dream of her very best friend! Ben Wyatt was officially the worst thing that had ever happened to Leslie. One drink turned into two which turned into four, and the next thing Leslie knew she was bouncing quarters into cups and telling Ann how much she loved her. She was slowly starting to feel better, but that all came crashing down when she saw Ben from across the bar.

“Ben the jerk is here,” she told Ann, and Ann’s head snapped over to look at him.

“Who are?” Ann asked, and Leslie pointed him out. “Oh, but he’s cute,” she said, which made Leslie frown harder.

“Hi,” Ben said, and if Leslie didn’t hate him so much she’d almost think his tentative voice was sweet. It sounded like he was asking permission to speak to them, and her head spun with the thought of what else he could ask permission for. No! She wouldn’t let herself think of that. Ben was a jerk, even if he did look like he’d be pretty on his knees.

“Hello Ben,” she said, crossing her arms at him. He looked down at the ground, swallowing.

“I kind of feel like we got off on the wrong foot,” he said, glancing up at her. “I just wanted to stop by, and—”

“Save your breath,” she told him, and her rage from earlier in the morning was back. “Just get out of here. Because this is a party with my friends, and you’re trying to fire all of my friends.”

“I—,” he stammered, and Leslie got even angrier when she had a fleeting thought of how cute he looked.

“I just talked to everybody in this bar, and nobody wants you here,” she said, and Ben didn’t seem to have a response to that. “You’re a cold, callous person, and you want to kill people with machetes.” She glanced over at Ann, expecting her to back her up, but Ann just looked upset.

“Sorry to bother you,” Ben said, not meeting their eyes.

“Get out of here,” Leslie said, and it came out like an order. Ben flinched, turning away and heading to the door rather than back to where he’d been standing with Chris. “He’s the worst,” Leslie grumbled to Ann, taking a long sip of her drink.

“Actually, I think,” Ann said, drunk enough to sound like she wasn’t entirely sure, “I think you were mean.”

“What? Ann Perkins, I have never been mean in my entire life,” Leslie said, personally affronted.

“He’s a sub,” Ann said, still sounding unsure. “If I were a sub, and my dom said that to me, I would—”

“Ann, beautiful, radiant Ann, you _are_ a sub,” Leslie reminded her, reaching over to squeeze the cuff on her left hand.

“Oh, right,” Ann said with a nod. “Do we need another drink?”

* * *

Ben left the bar before he could think about why he was doing it. He was in his car and heading towards the motel before he remembered that he hadn’t told Chris he was leaving. Leslie had ordered him to leave, and Ben had obeyed before he could think twice about it. The entire day had been a disaster, and Ben felt worse than he had in a long time. He’d upset his dom and she hated him. Rationally, he knew she was being unreasonable. She’d had too much to drink, and she was taking out her fears and frustrations on Ben. She didn’t know Ben, and she couldn’t have meant any of the things she’d said personally.

It was very hard to listen to the rational side of his brain right now. His stomach felt heavy with self-loathing, and his eyes stung with unshed tears. He could never do anything right. He was a disaster. He’d been a disaster since Ice Town, and Leslie had taken one look at him and just known. She didn’t want a sub like him. She’d never want someone like him. He got back to the motel and went straight to the shower, letting the water heat up until it was near scalding. It felt like a punishment, and that helped combat the dark thoughts spiraling in his mind. He stood under the spray until his skin was bright red, and even then it didn’t feel like enough. He let himself cry, and then he turned off the water and stepped out. He was done with his breakdown. It was time to come up with a plan.

The first thing he did when he got to the office the next morning was to talk to Chris. Chris was already at his desk, sipping a glass of tea and working through a report. “Ben!” he exclaimed, looking up at him with a smile. “You left early last night. I had the most phenomenal time, and I—”

“Can we talk?” Ben interrupted, sitting in front of his desk. It felt a little too formal, and Chris raised an eyebrow at him.

“Is something wrong?” Chris asked, reaching for a bottle of supplements.

Ben kept his back straight, feigning more confidence than he felt. “I need to disclose a conflict of interest,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I need to recuse myself from working in any capacity with the Parks and Recreation budget.”

“A conflict of interest?” Chris asked, setting down his tea.

“Yes,” Ben said with a quick nod. “But first, um. This stays between the two of us, correct?”

“Well, I’m going to have to document that you’re recusing yourself, and I might need to explain the justifications for that in the official forms,” Chris said with a rare frown.

“Right, of course,” Ben said. “I knew that, I just meant, um. I was hoping you wouldn’t share what I’m about to say with anyone else in City Hall.”

“I can assure you, Ben,” Chris said, reaching out to squeeze his arm reassuringly. “What you will tell me will not leave this room.”

“Okay,” Ben said, taking a deep breath. “Thank you. Yesterday I learned that my dom works in the Parks and Recreation Department.”

Chris’s eyes went wide. “Ben, that is literally the best news I have ever heard,” he said, jumping up from his desk. “I could not be happier for you! Of course, you can be recused. It’s really the only option until we're finished overseeing the budget negotiations. That does constitute a conflict of interest. Might I ask who your dom is?”

“Leslie,” Ben said, letting out a slow breath. He’d expected Chris to allow it, but it was still a relief to hear. “Leslie Knope, I mean.”

“Leslie Knope!” Chris exclaimed, and he pulled Ben up from his chair to hug him. “What a perfect match! I am so happy for you, Ben!” He clapped his back, and Ben coughed a little at the force.

“I can file whatever paperwork is necessary,” Ben said, taking a step back. “And again, I appreciate your discretion.”

“But of course,” Chris said seriously. “I won’t tell a soul.”

True to his word, once the paperwork was filed, Chris didn’t mention Leslie again. He did, however, keep looking over at Ben with a wide, knowing grin. Ben didn’t feel like grinning. Stepping down from the Parks’ budget was a start, but he still didn’t know if it would be enough to get Leslie to change her mind about him. He needed to talk to her, to sit her down and try to get her to see his side of things. He just didn’t know how to do it.

He still hadn’t made any decisions when Leslie came barging into their office.

“What brings you here so early?” Chris asked, glancing over at Ben knowingly. Leslie paused, looking between the two of them.

“I’m here to speak to Ben,” she said, and Chris took that as his cue to put on headphones and give them some semblance of privacy.

“So, I’d like to apologize for yesterday,” she started, sitting down across from Ben.

“Can we have this conversation somewhere else?” Ben asked, looking up from his paperwork. His heart was pounding in his chest, and even with Chris distracted he felt too exposed.

“I think we can have a perfectly professional conversation here,” Leslie said with a frown. Ben wanted to nod and let her have her way, but he knew he had to stand firm. He wasn’t going to let her control this conversation, not like she’d controlled every other conversation they’d had.

“I’d like to talk in private,” he said, reaching for his coat. “We could get coffee?”

“Fine,” Leslie said with a sigh.

The coffee shop was loud, and far from the intimate vibe Ben was hoping for. They each bought their own drinks, and Ben picked out a table in the quietest corner.

“I was hoping we could talk about the obvious,” he said, waiting for her to finish pouring sugar into her drink.

“What I did was out of line,” Leslie said, which wasn’t how Ben had expected the conversation to start. “I was worked up because obviously, you represent a threat to my department.”

“Your city council and your mayor are the threats to your department,” he reminded her, even though he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t get sucked into this fight again. “We didn’t do anything to get you into this situation, okay?”

“Okay, Ben, I don’t appreciate your callous attitude,” Leslie said, and Ben took it as the condemnation it was. “You may hold my fate in your hands like a small bird, but I still think you’re an ass.”

It seemed that Ben couldn’t get through a conversation with his dom without her insulting him. He took a deep breath, looking down at his coffee.

“I don’t hold your fate in my hands,” he said after a moment. “I talked to Chris this morning and asked for him to take over the Parks’ budget. I won’t be involved in any of those decisions anymore.”

“Oh,” Leslie said, sitting back in her chair, and Ben chanced a glance up at her. “You did?”

“I did,” Ben said. “And I think you know why.” He rubbed at his cuff, his thumb slipping underneath to run over her name.

“You’re my submissive,” Leslie said, her eyes following the movements of his thumb.

“It seems so,” Ben said, trying to sound more casual about it than he felt.

“Can I see?” she asked. Her eyes were softer than they’d ever been before.

Ben nodded, his fingers trembling as he undid the cuff. He stretched his arm out on the table, turning his arm palm up so that she could see her name.

“That’s surreal,” Leslie breathed. She took his hand, stroking over her name with the pad of her thumb. It was a brief, light touch, but it shook Ben to his core.

“Can I see yours?” Ben asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Sure,” Leslie said, and Ben almost wished he hadn’t asked because it meant that she let go of his hand. She slipped off her cuff, laying her arm out on the table.

There it was, staring up at him in his own handwriting, Benjamin Wyatt. He grinned down at it, slowly sliding his fingertips over the words.

“You’re my dom,” he said, looking up at her with a hopeful smile.

“I am,” Leslie said, and suddenly her face shifted. She reached for her cuff, fastening it quickly on her wrist. “Which means you have to obey me, right?”

“That’s not, I mean, that’s not entirely what it means,” Ben stammered, suddenly worried about where this was going.

“Which means that you can tell Chris to fully fund my budget,” Leslie said, like Ben hadn’t said anything at all. “This is perfect! You were smart to recuse yourself because now it won’t seem like a conflict of interest when you—”

“No!” Ben said, so loudly that a few people look over at them. “No,” he said again, quieter but just as intense. “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to just push me around because we’re soulmates.”

“What good is having you as a soulmate if you won’t do what I say?” Leslie demanded, and that felt like a low blow.

“We’re done here,” Ben said, standing up from the table. “When you can recognize how badly you just fucked this up, we can talk.”

He didn't even look back as he stormed away.


	2. Chapter 2

Leslie poured herself into her revised budget, trying to ignore the rising guilt for what she’d done to Ben. In the heat of the moment, it had felt like a stroke of genius. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Ben had been right. She’d treated him horribly, used him even. She’d always hated doms that used their status to push other people around. She was a feminist, but after what she’d done to Ben she wasn’t sure she deserved to use that title. This might be a mistake that even a plate of I’m Sorry cookies couldn’t fix.

She didn’t tell Ann what had happened. She knew how Ann would respond, and she hated knowing how disappointed she would be.

When Ben very pointedly left his office before she and Ron could come in to talk to Chris, Ann raised an eyebrow at her. Luckily, the universe had decided to throw a distraction that would keep Ann from asking too many questions.

“Ann Perkins!” Chris exclaimed, looking at Ann like she was the only one in the room. Ann blinked at him for a moment, as if she was trying to place him. “Chris Traeger?” he reminded her hesitantly, and Leslie noticed how his eyes flickered to the cuff on her wrist. _Oh._

“You’re—oh my god,” Ann spluttered. Leslie wondered how drunk Ann must’ve been last night to have forgotten meeting—and apparently making out with—her dom. Chris gave Ann her phone back and promised that they’d talk again after he was finished with work, and Ann just nodded with a stunned expression. Leslie was so happy for her friend. She was also grateful that she’d be able to avoid the Ben conversation for a little while longer.

Chris sat them down and told them that the government was being shut down. Leslie made him repeat it twice before she could accept what she’d heard. She couldn’t even think about Ben at a time like this. It was a crisis that required all hands on deck, except now that the government was shut down she wasn’t allowed to have any hands on deck!

She scheduled meeting after meeting with Chris, and while he continued to be the most positive person she’d ever met, he couldn’t do anything for her. Ben still left the office whenever she arrived, and she could tell how uncomfortable the situation made Chris. He tentatively gave her the approval for the Freddy Spaghetti concert, only to walk it back a few hours later with a sternly worded email. Leslie hadn’t heard anything close to stern from Chris in the entire time she’d known him, which made her think the email had really come from Ben instead. It made her angry, and she threw that anger into planning the best concert the children of Pawnee had ever seen.

When Chris came by to bust it up, Ben was trailing behind him. Leslie was surprised to see him, but she didn’t let on. Chris weakly told them to shut it all down, looking to Ben for encouragement. When Ben gave a sharp nod, Leslie let out a loud groan.

“Here’s the thing though, Ben,” Leslie said, and she was nearly taken aback by the heat of his glare. “Chris,” she corrected, directing her energy back at him instead. “It’s not canceled. We’re putting it on. The stage was already built. Everything was donated for free by local vendors. Everyone here believes that what we’re doing is essential. Freddy Spaghetti will sing.”

Donna told her that Freddy had canceled, and Ben didn’t look nearly as happy about that as Leslie would have guessed. Leslie didn’t let that stop her, promising Chris that they’d find a way to still put on their concert. She rushed away with Ann, pushing down the guilt she felt for snapping at Ben again.

And then Ben threw a curveball, and as Freddy Spaghetti started to sing Leslie knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer. She walked off the stage straight to Ben.

“I owe you an apology,” she said. “A real one this time.”

“You do,” Ben nodded, and Leslie appreciated that. He wasn’t going to let her off the hook for this easily, and she respected him more for it.

“I used you,” she said, meeting his eyes through his sunglasses. “I ignored your feelings and tried to abuse our dynamic to get my way. It was a horrible thing to do, and I understand if it isn’t something you can look past.”

Ben sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “This probably isn’t the best place to have this conversation,” he said, glancing around at all the children. “But… I think we can work through this. I accept your apology.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and it was all she could do not to reach out and hug him. She settled for squeezing his arm. “From now on, I’m not going to fight you,” she promised. “I’m not going to get in the way of your job, or take it personally when you have to make hard decisions.”

“I’m going to keep letting Chris make those decisions,” Ben said. “He just needs some encouragement, sometimes. For a dom, he really doesn’t like to tell people no.”

“Telling people no is the worst,” Leslie said with a frown, and that made Ben laugh.

“I guess you have a lot in common,” he said.

“Can I ask you something?” Leslie said, waiting for Ben’s nod of permission before she continued. She was through steamrolling him, after all. “Why did you do this? Why’d you get Freddy?”

“I want the kids to have their concert,” Ben said with a shrug, but Leslie could tell that wasn’t everything. He let out a shaky breath, looking away. “And… I wanted to make you happy,” he admitted quietly. “Even if I was still mad at you.”

“You did,” Leslie told him. “You were—you did a great job today.” It wasn’t quite the praise she wanted to give him, but it was too soon for more. Even still, Ben flushed and smiled like she’d said _good boy_.

They listened to the rest of the concert together, and then Ben hung back as she hugged kids, thanked parents for coming out, and said goodbye to all of her friends. After the crowd had dispersed there was still a lot of work to do.

“I’ll be here all night helping to take this down,” she warned Ben. “You don’t have to stick around.”

“I want to talk to you,” he said in an earnest voice that really, really did something for her. “Can I help?”

Now that she’d decided not to hate Ben, she couldn’t deny that he was her type. He had a small, compact body, and an ass that she couldn’t wait to see bright red after a punishment. Her head was swimming just thinking about it. She let him help, her attraction growing as she watched him stack chairs and lift heavy pieces of the stage. He’d be able to put up a fight if she restrained him, she thought. But she couldn’t let herself follow that train of thought yet. This thing between them felt so fragile, and she knew she had a long way to go to earn his trust. Maybe even longer until she’d feel like she deserved his trust.

The sun was setting by the time they had a chance to talk.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with this,” she said, sitting down with him on a bench. She took his left hand in hers, running her thumb over his cuff. “I’ve dated, but I’ve never really had a submissive before.”

“It’s new to me too,” Ben said, and even though he was taller than her it still felt like he was looking up at her. How did he do that?

“I want to do this right,” Leslie said. She slipped a finger under his cuff to touch the smooth skin of his wrist. “We’ll sit down and make a contract and go over limits and everything, I promise. But I know we got off to a rough start, so I was thinking maybe we could take this slow? Start with a few dates, something like that?”

Ben smiled at her, and Leslie felt her stomach flip. She’d just said she wanted to take things slow, but now she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. Or ask him to kneel for her. Or maybe both.

“I’d like that,” Ben told her, and his thigh was warm and firm where it was pressed up against hers on the bench.

“I know we’re not talking about work, but my schedule is suddenly wide open,” Leslie said with a teasing grin. When he laughed, she felt like she’d accomplished something. “Maybe I can take you to dinner tomorrow?”

“I’m free,” Ben nodded eagerly, and Leslie grinned at him. Her resolve broke, and she decided that she really did need to kiss him. Just once, chastely, and then she could offer to drive him so that she made sure he got home safely.

She was about to lean in when she heard someone approaching. Mark Brendanawicz had horrible timing.

“I liked this a lot better when it was a pit,” he said, smirking over at both of them. “Ben Wyatt, right? Were you here to shut this whole thing down?”

“Oh, uh,” Ben stammered, standing up awkwardly. “No, I was actually here to support Leslie.”

Mark raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at Leslie. She stood up with a stretch, nodding at Mark.

“Ben is my submissive,” she said before she could overthink it. Ann already knew, and if they were going to do this for real it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the Parks Department knew. Besides, Mark was leaving, so it wasn’t like he would tell anyone.

“Oh,” Mark said, and Leslie wasn’t sure if she should be offended by how surprised he looked. “Really? Huh. I didn’t think you did that sort of thing. Congratulations, I guess.”

“Did you want something, Mark?” she asked. It was a token of how focused on Ben she’d been that she’d completely forgotten that she’d planned to meet up with Mark. “Oh, oh, right. I have something for you. A going-away present.” She pulled the red tape out of her bag, too aware of Ben’s quiet presence next to her.

Mark laughed and handed her some plans he’d made for a future park on Lot 48. He told her that if everyone in government were like her he probably wouldn’t have quit. A few years ago, that kind of comment would have stuck with her for days. Now she just thanked Mark and hugged him goodbye.

“Should we get going?” she asked Ben, reaching for his hand.

“What did he mean?” Ben asked. “About you not doing this sort of thing?”

Leslie sighed. She should’ve known Ben would latch on to that comment. Still, she knew the subject would come up eventually. Might as well get it over now.

“Mark’s a dom, and we slept together once,” Leslie said with a sigh. “Like I said, I haven’t had many traditional relationships. Some people assume that means I’m not interested in submissives, but I can assure you that I am.”

“Oh,” Ben said, and then he nodded. “I can understand that.”

“Good,” Leslie said with a smile, squeezing his hand. “Can I drive you home?”

* * *

Ben wasn’t sure what to wear for their first official date. She’d given him the name of the restaurant, and he’d looked it up for some idea of how formal it was. It was nice without being gaudy, which ruled out the t-shirt he’d been considering. The v-neck was a little too tight, but he knew it showed off his neck in a way that doms seemed to appreciate.

After trying on the same three shirts a few times, he finally settled on a plain white button-up. He skipped the tie and added his nicest jeans. If they also happened to be his tightest jeans, well, who could blame him?

Leslie was picking him up, which left him speculating on whether or not that might mean the night would end at her place. She wanted to take it slow, she said, but he wondered how long that resolve would last. He had thought she might be about to kiss him when Mark had shown up, but then she hadn’t done more than squeeze Ben’s hand after she’d driven him to his motel.

Tonight, though. Tonight something might actually happen, and Ben was bubbling with excitement. He tried to play it cool, running his fingers through his hair until it looked like he hadn’t spent twenty minutes in front of the mirror fixing it.

Leslie arrived at six on the dot, and he broke out into a grin at the sound of her knock. She was standing in the hall, and Ben gave himself a moment to look her over. He wasn’t used to seeing her without a blazer; she’d even been wearing one over jeans even at the concert. Now she was wearing a soft purple dress, which was form-fitting while still leaving a lot to the imagination. Even with her heels, Ben towered over her.

“Hey,” he said with a soft smile.

“Hey,” she responded, resting her hand on the door frame. “You clean up well.”

Ben gave her a pleased smile, running a hand over his newly shaved face.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, and she smiled warmly.

“Let’s get going,” she said, stepping back so that he could close the door. He patted his jeans pocket, going through the mental list of keys, phone, wallet, before he followed her out.

“Sarah Mclachlan?” He asked with a slight smile when the radio turned on as she started her car. “This song always makes me think of those sad pet commercials.”

“This song is on one of my pump it up playlists,” Leslie said, and that made Ben laugh.

“Buckle up,” Leslie told him. Ben didn’t doubt that she’d say that to anyone who drove with her, but he couldn’t help but feel protected and taken care of from the comment. He clicked in his seatbelt, sitting back as she pulled out of the lot.

“I have a history of bad first dates,” she said, glancing over at him briefly before her eyes went back to the road.

“The way I see it, we’ve already had our first date,” Ben said with a shrug.

“The Freddy Spaghetti concert was not a date,” she frowned. “I didn’t even invite you to it. In fact, I deliberately tried to prevent you from finding out about it.”

“Maybe,” Ben allowed. “But afterward, when we sat and watched the sunset? That sure felt like a date to me.”

“Maybe,” Leslie said with a hum, and Ben thought that she already looked more relaxed. “I’ve never been to this restaurant,” she said, a swift change in subject. “Do you like Italian?”

“I love calzones,” he said, and that started off a rant that had him laughing until they pulled into the restaurant. He hadn’t known her long, but he already loved how strong all of her opinions were.

Leslie opened the door for him, placing a guiding hand on the small of his back that had him flushing again. He hadn’t been out with a dom in a while, and he wasn’t used to feeling taken care of. It made him feel exposed and protected all at the same time.

“Table for two,” Leslie asked, and Ben could see the hostess’ eyes flicking between the two of them.

“Traditional style seating?” she asked, and that was when Ben noticed the kneelers. He’d been to restaurants like this before, of course. When his parents had still been together, he could remember his mom kneeling next to his father at a few formal dinners. He’d never been in a serious enough relationship with a dom to try it himself, and now he wasn’t sure how he felt about the first time he kneeled for Leslie being in front of an entire restaurant.

“No, thank you,” Leslie said, and she pulled her hand away from his back as the hostess led them to a standard table with two chairs.

Ben frowned at the loss of contact, trying not to read too far into it. Leslie likely felt the same way he did and wanted to save kneeling for when they were in private. But Mark’s comment from the night before bounced around in his head, and Ben wondered how much of a traditional relationship he should expect. Maybe Leslie preferred to keep things vanilla, to have them on equal footing in and out of the bedroom. Ben wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

The hostess handed Leslie the wine list before she stepped away. “Do you want anything to drink?” Leslie asked, glancing down at it.

“Whatever you want,” Ben said easily. He liked the idea of Leslie picking for him, and after her reaction to his appreciation for calzones, he wasn’t sure what she’d have to say about any of his choices.

Leslie ordered them both glasses of white wine and then leaned back in her chair. “Is talking about work still taboo?” she asked him.

“I suppose I can allow it,” Ben laughed, enjoying the temporary role reversal.

“It’s my favorite thing to talk about,” Leslie said with a sheepish grin. “Can I ask how you went from Boy Mayor to state auditor?”

Ben’s expression fell, and he glanced down at his menu for an excuse not to meet her eyes. “You Googled me?” he guessed.

“I followed your campaign, back in the day,” Leslie said. Ben looked up at that, frowning over at her.

“You knew who I was? Why didn’t you reach out?” His anxiety answered that question for her; she must have seen his impeachment and been too ashamed of him to contact him. No wonder their first meeting had been such a disaster.

“I was intimidated,” Leslie admitted with a soft smile. “You were so impressive! I thought I’d wait to find you until I’d been elected myself, but then you went and found me first.”

“You shouldn’t have been intimidated,” Ben said with a sigh, looking away again. “It ended up kind of ruining my life. I bankrupted Partridge and was impeached.”

“You had a dream and you went for it,” Leslie said firmly, reaching out to touch his hand. “Maybe it didn’t end well, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Ben said with a flush. He wasn’t used to her complimenting him; so far, she’d thrown more insults than praise his way.

Leslie slipped a finger underneath this cuff, brushing over his wrist. She’d done it a few times now, but each time it sends shivers down Ben’s spine. There was something so casually possessive about it.

They were interrupted by their waiter and Ben missed the contact as soon as Leslie pulled her hand away.

Maybe it was the wine, but Ben couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a nice time with a dom. Leslie was just as intense as she’d been every time he’d interacted with her. She was passionate and opinionated, and Ben’s eyes felt heavy with the desire to submit for her. Being on the other side of her intensity was a heady feeling, and Ben reached for his glass of wine every time he started to feel overwhelmed by it. He was tipsy by the time she reached for the check.

“Have you been to Ramsett Park yet?” Leslie asked him. She helped him out of his chair, slipping her arm around his back as they left the restaurant.

“Not yet,” Ben said. He was only half-listening to her as she began to outline all the reasons that it was her favorite park. The feeling of her thumb resting just above his belt was too distracting.

“It’s nearby,” Leslie told him as they stepped outside. “Maybe we can walk around for a little while—unless you’d rather I take you straight home?”

“No,” Ben said a little too quickly. He wasn’t ready for this night to be over yet. “I want to see it.”

“Technically it’s closed because of the shutdown,” Leslie told him as they walked to the park. “But I have it on good authority that the Deputy Director of the Parks Department won’t mind if we sneak in.”

“I’m sorry about the shutdown,” Ben told her in a quiet voice. He could see the sadness in her eyes when she mentioned it. He hated knowing he was partially responsible for it, even if the shutdown was the right choice to make.

“I know it’s not your fault,” Leslie said with a sigh. “Besides, I’m trying to look at it as a positive. Having a summer off of work means that I have more time to get to know my soulmate, right?”

“That’s true,” Ben grinned.

They reached the entrance of the park. Because of the shutdown, all of the lights near the walking paths were shut off, but the reflection of the moon on the lake was bright enough to light their way. Ben couldn’t deny that it was a nice park, and it felt particularly romantic as he cuddled against Leslie’s side.

“I used to come to this park with my Dad,” Leslie said, bringing them to a bench near the lake. “He’d push me on the swings and help me skip stones in the lake, and then when we were tired, he’d buy me an ice cream cone and eat it underneath a tree.”

“He must be proud of you now,” Ben said with a smile. “Now you’re Ramsett Park’s biggest defender.”

“He died when I was ten, but I think he would be. I know I can be… passionate about my work,” she said delicately. “But it’s because I care so deeply. I’m sorry that I took that out on you.”

“You don’t need to keep apologizing,” Ben told her, resting his head against her shoulder. It already felt so natural to be this close to her. He closed his eyes, soaking in the warmth of her body. “We’re starting over, right? Clean slate.”

Leslie sighed, and she sounded so bothered that it made Ben pull away to look at her.

“Leslie,” he said with a frown. “I mean it. Yeah, we had a rocky start, but there’s a reason we’re soulmates, right?”

“You’re so sweet,” Leslie said. She took his hand in hers, unbuckling his cuff so that she could look at his soulmark. It almost shimmered in the moonlight, and she ran her thumb over it gently. “It’s hard to let go and trust fate.”

“I know what you mean,” Ben said with a sigh of his own. His parents had been soulmates, after all, and look at how that had turned out. Being fated didn’t mean they’d live happily ever after. Ben knew it would take hard work. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to try.

He thought maybe she’d kiss him then. They were sitting so close to each other, and every time she slid her thumb over his skin he felt himself slip closer and closer to subspace. He’d never fallen so quickly; was it because it had been so long, or did being with his soulmate just make everything more intense? Ben wasn’t sure.

Leslie pulled his hand up, pressing a soft kiss to his wrist. Ben couldn’t help the little sound he let out. His breath was shaky. His head was spinning. He’d never wanted anyone so badly.

“We should get going,” Leslie said abruptly, buckling his cuff back on and letting go of his hand. “It’s getting late, and one of us has work in the morning.”

“Right. Okay,” Ben said, rubbing his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans.

Leslie didn’t put a hand on his back as they left the park. The mood had changed, and Ben wasn’t sure what to do about it. When they got to the street, Leslie put a protective hand on his arm before he could step into the crosswalk. She double-checked that it was clear and then pulled away, letting him go. It was a small gesture, but it brought the same heady feeling back to Ben’s chest.

“I had a really nice time,” Ben told her when they were back at the Pawnee Super Suites. She walked him to his door, but Ben could tell from her distance that she wasn’t going to invite herself inside. “Thank you for dinner, Leslie.”

“So did I,” Leslie said with a small smile. She reached out, giving his arm another squeeze. Her grip was firm, and Ben couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have her holding his wrists together. He couldn’t let himself follow that train of thought. Not yet.

“When can I see you again?” He was sure he sounded too eager. She wanted to take things slow, he reminded himself. He needed to let her call the shots.

“I’ll bring you lunch tomorrow—If that works with you?”

“I’d love that.”

“See you then.” She took a step towards him, and Ben thought for a moment that she’d finally kiss him. Instead, she pulled him into a hug. He’d just barely processed the feeling of her body against his when she stepped away.

His hands shook as he unlocked the door to his room. His head spun with the smell of her perfume, something soft and sweet like marshmallows or cotton candy. He got the door closed behind him before he dropped to his knees, not bothering to turn on the light. In the dark room, he could almost pretend that she was there with him. He imagined her following him inside. Would she curl a hand into his hair and tug his head underneath her dress? Or would she focus on him first, tease him until he was whimpering and begging for more?

He was already uncomfortably hard in his jeans, but he made himself wait. She’d tease him first, wouldn’t she? Ben brought his hands to his chest, pinching at his nipples. He worked off his shirt quickly, letting his blunt fingernails drag against his skin, pretending they were hers. Small sparks of pain, just enough to get him to let out a quiet moan. He tipped his head back against the door so that his neck was exposed. She’d leave marks, he thought. She’d want everyone to know that he was hers.

He teased his nipples until they were sore, his hips rocking up against nothing but empty air. “Please,” he gasped. How long would she make him beg? He didn’t have the willpower to wait much longer. He reached for his belt, tugging it off. Good lord, maybe she’d do that, and then she’d use it to tie up his hands. Scarves were safer, but he didn’t let that ruin his fantasy.

Ben couldn’t muffle the groan that he made when he finally got his hand on his cock. The neighboring rooms would hear, but he was too turned on to care. His cock was already dripping precome, and he slid his thumb over the head. He kept his grip light, not giving in to the fast, hard strokes he wanted. He could be good for her. He could wait.

Twenty agonizing minutes later, and he was gasping. He had worked himself up to his peak only to pull back, again and again. He wouldn’t come until he had permission, and she wouldn’t give it to him until he deserved it. He couldn’t manage words anymore; his pleas had turned into whimpers and bucking hips. He could almost imagine the feeling of her body pressed behind his. He could almost feel her breath ghosting against his ear as she whispered for him to come for her.

He came with a shout, pulses of come shooting across his chest. He’ll have to make sure he hasn’t gotten any on the carpet, but that was a problem for later. For now, he just collapsed against the door and breathed heavily. His knees were aching; the floor was hard and he wasn’t as young as he used to be. They popped loudly as he finally stood up, and his back followed when he stretched. If Leslie were here, he’d want to curl up in bed afterward while he came back down. Since she wasn’t, he settled for a nice, hot shower. He wasn’t quite in subspace afterward, but his head felt floaty and calm as he put on pajamas and curled into his bed. He was already nearly asleep when his phone chimed, and he reached for it blearily.

 _sleep well, sweetheart_ , the text read.


	3. Chapter 3

Leslie had never been good at standing still. She always had three or four projects going on at the same time; she’d watch a documentary while reading The Pawnee Journal and listening to a Sarah Mclachlan CD. She couldn’t slow down, couldn’t handle having free time and nothing to fill it.

In other words, the shutdown was her worst nightmare. She threw herself into park maintenance; it wasn’t technically allowed, and she wasn’t getting paid for it, but no one stopped her. She spent her days mowing lawns and trimming hedges, and her arms were already starting to show the fruits of her labor. When she wasn’t in the parks, she was planning for when they reopened. She knew she’d be on a small budget, so she was doing everything she could to prepare for that. She had a binder full of barebones programming that she thought she could pull off.

The rest of her time was spent with Ben. Today was the third time she’d brought lunch to his office, but they hadn’t gone out on a real date since their first one. She was trying to take this slow, after all, and that was a lot easier to do in a professional environment.

Not to mention, having dates in City Hall was an excuse for her to be in the building despite her non-essential status. She tried to listen in on budgeting meetings, always arriving a little earlier than she needed to and waiting in the hall. She was sure Ben saw right through her, but he hadn’t called her out on it yet.

When the door to the conference room finally opened, Ben wasn’t the first person to step out. Instead, Ron came out after a stream of department heads.

“How’s it going in there?” Leslie asked, trying to keep her voice casual. As far as she knew, he didn’t know about her and Ben yet. She hadn’t told any of her coworkers yet, but that was only because she hadn’t seen any of them since the Freddie Spaghetti concert.

“We slashed the library’s budget by forty-six percent,” Ron said gleefully, but then his expression narrowed. “What are you doing here? Are you trying to bribe me with JJ’s to get yourself put on the list of essential personnel?”

Leslie tucked the bag from JJ’s diner behind her. “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Although…” she let herself consider it for a moment, but no, she’d promised Ben that she wouldn’t try to interfere with his job. “I’m not here to see you,” she said finally.

“Leslie,” Ben said, grinning as he stepped out into the hall. He noticed Ron a moment later, glancing between the two of them. “Uh, Ms. Knope,” he corrected himself awkwardly, and Ron raised an eyebrow.

“Whatever’s going on, I don’t want to know about it,” Ron said, turning on his heel and walking down the hall.

“So, lunch!” Leslie exclaimed as they made their way to his office. “I went to JJ’s, and don’t worry, I’ve heard your feedback. I didn’t get you waffles this time. How’s your day going?”

“Is that your way of asking me how the budgeting discussions are going?” Ben asked her with a grin. He cleared off his desk, pulling his chair around so that he could sit next to her.

“Am I that obvious?” Leslie said, popping open her box of waffles.

“Maybe,” Ben laughed. “But I don’t mind keeping you up to date. I just wish I had better news for you. We had to cut the library’s budget today, and we reduced their hours of operations significantly.”

Leslie couldn’t help her grin, even if she’d already heard that from Ron. “Have you considered cutting personnel? Like, for instance—just spitballing here, off the top of my head—maybe starting with the Deputy Director of Library Services?”

“You know, Ron might have mentioned the same cost-saving measure,” Ben said. “Is there a story there?”

There was no other response but to outline the entirety of Ron’s tumultuous relationship with Tammy, or at least, the bits and pieces that Leslie had experienced first hand. Leslie played up the already dramatic story for his benefit, loving the way his eyes were locked onto hers. Being the sole focus of his attention was such a heady feeling.

“Wait, wait,” Ben interrupted, his face flushed with how hard he’d been laughing. “She really did that?”

“The entire room was destroyed,” Leslie nodded frantically. “They even had to replace all the outlets!”

“Maybe firing her would save us even more money in lawsuits,” Ben joked.

“See, now you’re getting it,” Leslie grinned. There was a crumb on the corner of his lip, and she reached out to brush it away with her thumb for an excuse to touch him.

“Oh,” Ben said, his ears pinking in the most adorable way. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Leslie breathed. She kept her thumb on his face for a moment, brushing against his cheek.

“Leslie Knope!” Chris exclaimed as he came into the office, startling them both apart. “It’s so nice to see the two of you enjoying time together! I’m coming back from lunch with Ann Perkins at the hospital.”

“You’d better be treating her right,” Leslie said, spinning around in her chair to point a threatening finger at him.

Chris’s arrival put a damper on things, and they parted ways a few moments later with nothing more than an awkward handshake. Leslie still hadn’t kissed Ben, and she wasn’t going to let the first time happen with their boss in the room.

Kissing Ben would mean that things were getting serious, and Leslie wasn’t ready for that yet. Ann knew about Ben, but no one else did. Bumping into Ron earlier had clearly made him suspicious, but if she knew anything about Ron, he wouldn’t seek that information out.

The shutdown, as miserable as it was, had at least given her an excuse not to tell any of her coworkers yet. She hadn’t seen anyone but Ron since the Freddy Spaghetti concert. It wasn’t that she was hiding it from them, exactly. She knew they’d all be happy for her, even if Tom would inevitably find any and every excuse to tease her about it whenever it came up. But she was still so nervous about the entire thing. She’d been putting off having a real conversation with Ben since they’d agreed to take things slow, and he hadn’t tried to bring it up himself. It was easier to ignore the writing on her wrist and just pretend they were coworkers going on casual lunch dates.

“Leslie? What are you doing here?” Her mother’s sharp voice came from down the hall, breaking her out of her thoughts. _Crap on a spatula._

She really should have seen this coming. As Director of the Education Department, Marlene, unlike Leslie, had been declared essential personnel.

“I… I was getting something I left on my desk,” Leslie lied, trying her best not to glance over at the door to Ben and Chris’ office.

“I hope you’re not bothering those auditors from Indianapolis,” Marlene said with a skeptical glance.

“No, of course not,” Leslie said, backing away towards the nearest exit. “But, I really should be going.”

“You’re furloughed,” Marlene reminded her. “Where do you have to be?”

“Dentist appointment,” Leslie blurted, sure that her mother could see right through her. “So, I”d better go do that! Bye, Mom!”

“Don’t forget about dinner next week,” her mother called out as the door swung behind her.

She tried to push the run-in with Marlene out of her head, but she couldn’t keep it from Ann when they got together for Girls’ Night.

“Wait, so you still haven’t told your mom? Leslie, it’s been weeks,” Ann gasped. “I told my family about Chris the day after I met him!”

“I know,” Leslie groaned, reaching for another handful of popcorn. “But you know how my mom is! She’d give him the third degree.” Leslie hadn’t introduced her mother to that many of her partners; Marlene was a harsh and exacting dom, and Leslie knew it was hard to meet her standards. “I can’t put Ben through that yet, not when we’re still… you know, figuring things out.”

“You haven’t told me much about how that’s going,” Ann said, nudging Leslie’s thigh with her foot. “Are you still taking things slow?”

“We’re taking things at a completely appropriate pace,” Leslie said. “But enough about me, Ann. I want to hear about you and Chris!”

“I don’t even know where to start,” Ann said with a grin. “Chris is… I mean, he’s intense, but in a really good way. He’s got me running and on this special diet, and it’s—”

“He’s making you diet?” Leslie asked with a frown.

“It’s important to him that I take good care of myself,” Ann said with a shrug. “I don’t mind it. And I like all of his rules, you know? It makes me feel like he’s taking care of me. Like he’s looking out for my best interests.”

Leslie had a hard time wrapping her head around that. Ann had mentioned it before, of course. She’d told Leslie how being with a dom helped her stay grounded, how she could start to feel overwhelmed without the structure and rules that came from being in a relationship. To Leslie, the idea of a dom lecturing her about just sounded oppressive. She could understand the other side of things, of course. Who wouldn’t want to be in charge, to know that another person would do everything it took to make you happy?

Her first few interactions with Ben had shown another side to having that much control. It would be so easy for her to take advantage of their relationship, to manipulate him into getting what she wanted. She was used to fighting for her dreams, but her half-hearted attempt to blackmail Jeanine Restrepo at the banquet for her mother’s Tellenson Award last year had proved that she didn’t have the stomach for dirty politics. She wouldn’t hurt Ben like that, especially not now that she’d started to get to know him. Ben was sweet and a little nerdy, and Leslie couldn’t bear to break the fragile trust that had started to build between the two of them.

“The two of you made a contract, right?” Leslie demanded, shaking her thoughts of Ben to focus on her best friend. “And you have safewords? He’s making sure everything’s consensual?”

“Yes,” Ann promised. “He’s a perfect gentleman. You don’t have to worry. He’s not doing anything I don’t want.” She flushed a little at that, and Leslie glanced over at the hint of a bruise she’d noticed on Ann’s shoulder.

“Does it feel different when it’s with your soulmate?” she asked her.

“Sex, you mean?” Ann asked, sitting up a little straighter. “Yeah, it really does. No one’s been able to get me into subspace as quickly as he can. Sometimes it feels like I know what he wants before he’s even asked me. And god, have I mentioned how flexible he is? Because some of the positions are—”

“No details!” Leslie said, shaking her head. “He’s my boss, technically.”

“Fine, no details,” Ann agreed with a laugh. “But tell me one thing, have you and Ben really not slept together yet?”

“It’s… It just hasn’t been the right time,” Leslie said, shoving more popcorn into her mouth. “You know we got off to a rocky start.”

“You and Dave slept together on your second date,” Ann pointed out. “And I’m pretty sure it was under a week with Justin. What’s the holdup?”

Leslie sighed, looking over at Ann. “He’s only in Pawnee for a few months,” she said. “He’s going to go back to Indianapolis eventually, and then what? You know how much I love Pawnee.”

“Chris and I are sort of in the same boat,” Ann sighed, and Leslie wasn’t willing to even entertain the thought of Ann leaving Pawnee. “Have you talked to him about it?”

“No. We haven’t really talked about anything serious,” Leslie admitted. “I just keep thinking, what if I fall in love with him, and I decide I’d rather be with him than follow my dreams? What if I let him drag me out of Pawnee, and give up everything I’ve ever worked for and—”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Ann cut her off. “You don’t know that he wouldn’t want to stay in Pawnee. And what makes you think you’d follow him, anyway? You didn’t go to San Diego when Dave left.”

“Dave wasn’t my soulmate,” Leslie said, shaking her head. “I wasn’t in love with Dave, I don’t think. But if I let myself get serious with Ben…”

If she let herself fall in love with Ben, what if suddenly her priorities shifted? What if she decided that his happiness was more important than her dreams? Leslie had seen it happen before. She’d gone to college with women who had big plans for their futures, only to meet their dom and settle into being a housewife. The idea that fate could make her fall in love with someone—could make her lose a part of who she was—terrified her.

There was another option, of course, but she wouldn’t let herself consider it. She couldn’t ask Ben to stay. She couldn’t make that decision for him. It would have to be his idea, his choice. Leslie didn’t want to let herself get her hopes up, so she tried not to think too hard about that option.

“There’s a reason the two of you are soulmates,” Ann said, shaking her head. “You have to trust this, Leslie.”

“I do, I’m just trying to think ahead. I’ve got to plan this out. Actually, do you want to see the binders I’ve been making?” She jumped up from the couch to dig through her purse. Ann just laughed fondly.

When Leslie got home that night, she added two more binders to her color-coded collection. She mapped out twelve more possible outcomes with Ben, outlining the impacts to her career if they stayed together, and their mental and physical health if they tried to fight the bond.

Leslie had never rushed into anything, and she wasn’t about to start with Ben.

* * *

Ben glanced up at the clock for the third time in the last half hour. He wasn’t usually so antsy to go home. Before Pawnee, there wasn’t usually much waiting for him after work besides takeout and reruns on the closest thing to the SyFy network his motel managed to pick up. Now, though, Leslie filled his free time. He’d tourned almost all of Pawnee in the last few weeks, and he’d learned first hand how to fight off a raccoon. He still had the torn up pant leg to prove it.

Watching Leslie scare off a raccoon really shouldn’t have been such a turn on, but he told himself it was less about the raccoon and more about the fact that his dom was protecting him.

Although, Ben wasn’t entirely sure he could call her his dom yet. Sure, they were soulmates, but she’d never done more than rest her hand on his back or give his arm a squeeze. She hadn’t given him rules or even mentioned drawing up a contract since that first night after the concert. Ben wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, and he didn’t know how to ask.

He hated feeling so uncertain. He was used to feeling insecure, of course. He’d been one big ball of insecurity ever since Ice Town, and those lingering doubts never really went away. He’d always thought that his soulmate would be the one person who wouldn’t make him feel that way. Whenever he’d been with a dom in the past, going under had been the one thing to make his mind finally go quiet. He would slip into subspace, and suddenly he wouldn’t care about what anyone thought about him anymore. The only opinion he would care about was his dom’s, and he’d do whatever it took to make her happy. (Or him, on a few occasions, but it felt too early to mention that part of himself to Leslie yet.)

“Are you meeting up with Leslie Knope after work?” Chris asked with a knowing smile when Ben’s head turned towards the clock again.

“Yeah,” Ben admitted with a sheepish grin. “She’s picking me up for dinner.”

“Only the start of an excellent weekend together, I’m sure,” Chris enthused. “Did you ever imagine that we’d both meet our soulmates at the same time, in a town like Pawnee?”

“Never,” Ben laughed. “How’s Ann?”

Ben really didn’t need to ask about Ann. He’d seen first hand just how well Chris’s relationship with Ann was going. Ann stopped by during their lunch break whenever she wasn’t working to go on runs or eat organic, hard-to-pronounce superfoods with Chris at his desk. Just as frequently, Chris would pop by the hospital to bring Ann coffee or simply check in on her. Ben had seen Chris date dozens of subs during their travels together, but he’d never seen Chris as obviously smitten as he was with Ann.

“Ann is wonderful. I have _literally_ never been so happy in my life,” Chris said with a brilliant grin. “Why just last night,” he began, and Ben looked away as he started describing the heights of passion they’d reached together the night before.

It wasn’t that talking about sex bothered Ben. Ben was used to hearing Chris talk about his exploits, and he didn’t mind sharing his own stories every once in a while. Never in as graphic detail as Chris, of course, but that was more because of how awkward Ben was than out of any sense of shyness.

Lately, though, listening to Chris talk about his sex life with Ann was starting to get on his nerves. He’d never been so sexually frustrated in his life, and that included the six months in high school when all he could think about was if Cindy Eckert would ever let him get to second base. Spending so much time with Leslie meant seeing her casually commandeering attitude first hand. She’d flag down a waiter to ask for more whipped cream, and Ben would be glad he was sitting because listening to her politely, yet firmly explaining what was wrong with her order would make him weak in the knees. She’d see a car without a placard parked in a handicap spot, and wait by the curb for twenty minutes so that she could rip into the culprit. Ben had jerked himself off to the memory of her making a grown man cry several times, but that didn’t make up for the fact that she didn’t seem very interested in making Ben cry.

Ann, however, had apparently spent a good portion of the night before crying after what sounded like a particularly fun punishment. Ben was half hard in his slacks, thankful that his desk was hiding the evidence.

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, Chris,” Ben interjected. He was sure his face was flushed, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Chris’s eyes. “But I’m not sure that this is an appropriate conversation to be having in the workplace.”

“You’re very right,” Chris said, nodding immediately. “I appreciate your commitment to professionalism! Your integrity is _literall_ y out of this world, Ben. Why don’t we go to that coffee shop you found next week and have this conversation off the clock? I, of course, will have a green tea instead, but I know how you like their lattes.”

“That, uh,” Ben stammered, trying to think of an excuse to get out of it. The problem was, he didn’t actually want to avoid hanging out with Chris. They’d become close over the last few years of traveling together, and Ben hadn’t really made any friends in Pawnee besides Leslie. (Chris had, of course, already made so many friends that he’d formed his own early morning running club with them. Ben had been invited to join, but getting out of bed at five in the morning to run a 10k sounded like his own personal version of hell.) So while Ben didn’t want to stop hanging out with Chris, he wasn’t sure how he’d handle hearing about his nights with Ann without spontaneously combusting. “The thing is,” he finally said, latching on to the first idea that came into his head, “Leslie doesn’t want me talking about sex without her around.”

“I completely understand,” Chris said immediately, nodding enthusiastically. “I would never overstep, or ignore what the rules that your dom has set for you.”

“Right, yeah,” Ben said with a nod, relaxing a little. “She’s just, you know, she wants to make sure that I…” He’d never been very good at lying.

“She wants to make sure that you respect women,” Chris guessed, and Ben nodded in agreement. “It’s a very sensible rule to set. I’m glad that she’s taking such good care of you.”

“She is, yeah,” Ben said, looking over at the clock again. Only ten more minutes until he was finally free. He hated lying to Chris, but he was thankful for the reprieve. At the same time, Chris’s words had left him with a pit in his stomach. He couldn’t help but wish Leslie really had set that rule for him. Maybe not that rule in particular, but he’d take any rule at this point. He’d take any sign that Leslie wanted to be his dom.

“Have the two of you given any thought to what you want to do after we’re done in Pawnee?” Chris asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

“We haven’t really talked about it yet,” Ben admitted. “What about you and Ann?”

“Ann asked me about it a few nights ago. She offered to move to Indianapolis when we leave,” Chris said with a bright smile.

“Leslie would never move to Indianapolis,” Ben said, shaking his head.

“I thought as much. You could look into jobs here,” Chris suggested.

It wasn’t the first time Ben had thought about it. He’d brushed up his resume after their first date. With how much Leslie loved Pawnee, there was no chance she would ever leave. Ben couldn’t remember what it felt like to love a city. He’d spent the last decade going from place to place, never staying long enough to call anywhere home. Even his apartment in Indianapolis felt impersonal and temporary.

When he walked around Pawnee with Leslie, when he saw everything through her sparkling blue eyes, he could almost understand why she loved it so much. He could almost see himself making a home here.

He tried to ignore that and look at the situation rationally. Wasn’t it crazy to throw away all the years he’d put in for the State for a woman he still hadn’t even kissed? He couldn’t help but think back to his parents. They’d met on a Wednesday and moved in together the next Friday, and look at how that had turned out. Maybe Leslie had a point about taking things slowly.

“I don’t know what I’d do. I’d be giving up my entire career,” Ben pointed out.

“There could be a place for you in City Government,” Chris shrugged. “We could try to create something.”

“We’re supposed to be reducing spending, not creating new positions,” Ben shook his head. “If I look for a job, it’ll be in the private sector.”

“If you need a recommendation, I could not be more thrilled to offer one,” Chris promised. “I cannot think of anyone more qualified and capable for any position you might pursue.”

“I’ll keep you updated,” Ben promised as the clock finally struck five. He was out of his desk and rushing to meet Leslie before Chris could give him any more compliments.

As usual, Leslie picked him up from his hotel. They chatted about their days on the drive over to the restaurant; Leslie had spent three hours removing graffiti from a mural downtown and was insistent that she knew the teenager responsible. As Ben listened to her talk, he felt all of his anxiety slip away. For as torn up and confused as he felt when they were apart, as soon as they were together he found himself feeling like everything would somehow work out.

“We’ve been eating out a lot lately,” Ben pointed out as she held open the door to the restaurant for him. “We could stay in next time if you wanted. I could cook for you.”

“I’m trying to give you a culinary tour of Pawnee,” Leslie told him, leading them to a table near the back. “I have a binder ranking every restaurant in Pawnee and the surrounding area, categorized by cuisine, of course. We haven’t even made it through the first page.”

That didn’t surprise Ben at all. He’d seen her binders first hand; she’d brought one to their third date because she’d needed to outline just why his opinions on charter schools were flawed. He’d been impressed with how thorough it was, and even more impressed when he realized that she’d thrown it together in response to an offhand comment he’d made at one of their lunches.

“Well, I’ll admit, the binder has made for some pretty great dinners,” Ben said as they sat down. “That Indian place last week was incredible.”

“You’ll love tonight’s dinner just as much,” Leslie grinned. “I recommend the fish, but the best thing here is—”

“The dessert?” Ben guessed with a laugh.

“Their cheesecake is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted,” Leslie promised.

Ben couldn’t ignore that all of their dates had been in public, and he didn’t quite know what to think about that. She’d dropped him off at the Pawnee Super Suites every time, but he still didn’t even know where her house was. He let the subject drop for a while, more than happy to sit and listen to Leslie talk to him about her time in college or initiatives she wanted to instantiate once the government shutdown ended.

“It would be sort of like Camp Athena, only we’d focus on older kids, and not just girls,” Leslie was telling him around a sip of her wine. “All the graffiti I’ve been cleaning up made me think of it. It’s too late for Greg Pikitus; he’s a completely lost cause. But we might be able to help other kids before they get that bad.”

“I’ll start by saying that I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Ben said, loving the way she smiled at that. He almost wanted to stop there so that he wouldn’t have to say anything that would make her lose that smile. “But… That’s going to require funding. Pawnee doesn’t have a lot of that at the moment.”

“I know,” Leslie sighed, slumping against her chair. “We’re going to be on a shoestring budget when we open back up again, aren’t we?”

“Unfortunately,” Ben agreed, feeling almost as disappointed as she did. He could see the merit in her idea, and it really was unfortunate that they didn’t have the money for it. “To fund something like that, we’d need… Well, we’d need a way to create thousands of dollars in revenue. That’s not going to happen any time soon.”

“Not with that attitude, it’s not,” Leslie said. Ben could practically see the wheels turning in her head, trying to come up with a solution. The waiter came by with the check before she could say anything else, and Leslie reached for it.

“Um, I was thinking,” Ben said, his fingers brushing against hers as he reached for the bill. “I could cover it this time?”

“What?” Leslie said with a frown. “No, I’ve got it. I asked you out, and I picked out the restaurant. It’s only fair.”

“We’ve been eating out a lot,” Ben said again. Leslie’s salary might have been the second-highest in her department, but he knew she hadn’t gotten a paycheck in a few months. Meanwhile, Ben still got paid every two weeks like clockwork. It didn’t feel right for her to keep spending so much money on him. “I don’t mind paying.”

“If you want,” Leslie said after a moment, pushing the check back over to him. “But I’m getting it next time.”

“Or... We could stay in next time,” Ben offered as he slipped his card into the check holder. “I’d offer to take you to mine, but I don’t have a kitchen at the Pawnee Super Suites.”

“My house isn’t exactly… ready for company,” Leslie said with a frown.

Ben glanced up at that. “I’m… I’m not exactly company, though, am I?” he said, hating how hesitant his voice sounded.

“No, you’re not,” Leslie agreed with a soft smile. “Next time, then.”

The sun was setting as they left the restaurant, and like always, Leslie found a nice park for them to walk around until she was ready to take him home. She laced her fingers with his, and Ben was sure he had a dumb grin on his face.

“I can’t believe that summer’s already almost over,” Leslie sighed. “It’s so strange to spend an entire summer without going to the office.”

“You’re in my office every week,” Ben pointed out.

“Which is often the highlight of my day, but not exactly the same,” Leslie replied, squeezing his hand. Ben knew he shouldn’t say anything—it wouldn’t be official until next week, after all—but he couldn’t help it. He hated how dejected she looked every time she talked about work.

“Can you keep a secret?” he whispered.

“I am amazing at keeping secrets, just ask Ann,” Leslie exclaimed. “Tell me!”

“I trust you,” Ben laughed. “I shouldn’t say this, but… If everything goes well next week, we should all be back to work the Monday after.”

“What?!” Leslie exclaimed, her voice near a shriek. “This is the best news I’ve ever—” she started, and then she was reaching up for Ben. Her hand slipped around the back of his neck, pulling him down so that she could mash her lips against his. The kiss was over before Ben had even processed what had happened. “I have so much work to do!” she exclaimed, grinning up at him.

“I...” Ben swallowed, his face starting to flush. Her hand was still resting on his neck, her fingers brushing at his hairline. “What just happened?”

“A reward for good behavior,” Leslie winked. She pulled him towards her again, and this time Ben could actually enjoy the kiss. Her lips were slow and sweet against his, easily taking charge. Her fingers curled in his hair, tiny pinpricks of pain as she tugged that had him sinking into her. If it weren’t for her hand on his hip, Ben felt like his knees might give out.

“If I’d known that was how you’d react,” Ben said when she pulled away, his voice coming out a little rough, “I would’ve ended the shutdown way earlier.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Leslie said sharply, tugging him back by his hair. Ben couldn’t help the little gasp he made as she manhandled him, hoping that the lighting in the park was too dim for her to notice the other reaction he’d had. “Now, let’s get you home. I finally have some work to do!”


	4. Chapter 4

Leslie hardly saw Ben at all in the week before the shutdown ended. She’d spent the entire summer planning for the reopening, of course, but now that it was finally happening, she had to make sure she was completely prepared. Ben had given her a good idea of what to expect, budget-wise, although he refused to let her look through any of his paperwork. It was very hard to remember that she and Ben weren’t supposed to be talking about work when it was the only thing she could think about.

Well, work and just how nice Ben’s butt looked when he was wearing the jeans she’d only seen him in off the clock. That brought up another worrying fact: she and Ben were going to have to start working together. Chris was still in charge of overseeing the Parks Department, and Leslie had promised that she’d respect that. She wouldn’t bug Ben about the budget or try to get him to tell her things she wasn’t supposed to know. (Or at least, she would stop bugging him when he realized that he’d already said too much and asked her to stop. She was only human, after all.) Even if they wouldn’t be working in the same departments, though, it would still be a change. She would go from seeing Ben only during dates to seeing him every day.

There was no chance of hiding their relationship from their coworkers. Leslie knew she couldn’t keep a straight face around him, and Ben was even worse than she was. It was so easy to get him to flush or drop his gaze down to the floor. He was already so submissive around her, even though she hadn’t had a chance to put him under yet. One look at the two of them in the same room and anyone would be able to guess that they were together.

Leslie couldn’t let her coworkers find out before her own mother did. As soon as Marlene found out that Leslie had met her soulmate, she was going to want to meet him. Leslie wasn’t trying to avoid that exactly, but she still realized that the week that they all went back to City Hall was the perfect time to tell her mother. Marlene would be just as busy as the rest of them, and she wouldn’t have time to set up a meeting any time soon.

“Hey Mom, it’s me, Leslie Knope. I know you’re just as excited about the shutdown ending as I am. Are you ready to get back to work? Well, not that you haven’t been working, of course, since you were essential, unlike me… But that’s not why I’m calling. Actually, not a big deal, very lowkey, but thought that I’d mention that I’d met my soulmate and he works for the State Department and oh, look at the time, I’ve got to get going. Well, I’ll call you later, bye!”

If she called when she knew Marlene would be in the shower so that she could get away with leaving a voicemail instead of telling her directly, well, who could blame her for knowing her mother’s schedule so well?

Leslie put her phone on silent—so that she had an excuse to not answer whenever Marlene called back—and got to work. She had to round up the team, to share the good news with everyone. Ron didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm, which she should have expected, but everyone else seemed happy to be back in the office. She stayed away from Chris and Ben’s office pointedly, not wanting to let herself get distracted. The distraction came to her, though, in the form of Chris walking into the Parks Department with a sunny smile on his face.

“Welcome back! How’s my favorite department doing? It is truly great to see all of you!” Chris exclaimed, but then his smile dimmed slightly. “Although it pains me to say this, I’m tasked with informing you that due to the current budget crisis, we need you to focus your energies on existing park maintenance. Ben tells me that it’s very important that I emphasize that park maintenance should be your only focus.”

“Hey, where is Ben?” Tom asked, glancing around.

“Ah,” Chris glanced over at Leslie, clearly not sure what to say to that. “Well, Ben won’t be working with the Parks Department anymore, but I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to be more hands-on with you!”

“Leslie,” Ron said with a frown, “what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, Ron,” Leslie protested. Everyone’s eyes were on her now. “I’m sure Ben has a very busy schedule, and—”

“He was acting weird at the Freddie Spaghetti concert,” Donna pointed out.

“And that was after she yelled at him at the Snakehole,” Tom added. “What, did you scare him away, Leslie?”

“I didn’t scare him away,” Leslie said with a sigh. “Ben has stepped away from the Parks Department because of a conflict of interest. But that’s not important. What’s important is that I’ve spent the last few months brainstorming, and—”

“Why’s it a conflict of interest?” Donna demanded.

Leslie glanced over at Chris, hoping he’d find a way out of this, but he was already nearing the door.

“Gotta run, read that write up about the basketball program I left you,” he called out as he darted down the hall.

“Knope, out with it,” Ron said, crossing his arms over his chest. “What did you do to that poor man?”

“I already told you that I didn’t do anything!” Leslie exclaimed. “Wouldn’t you rather go through my idea binders? I mean, they’re color-coded, for God’s sake!”

They all stared at her, and Leslie knew there was no point in stalling. She only wished that she’d had a chance to warn Ben ahead of time.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Ben is my soulmate. That’s why he’s not going to be working with the Parks Department.”

“Leslie, that’s wonderful! Congratulations!” Jerry started.

“Shut up, Jerry,” Tom cut him off immediately. “Are you serious, Leslie? You and Mr. Ray-Bans?” He broke off into peals of laughter, clutching onto Jerry’s desk for support. “I can’t even picture it. How does that work, the two of you? Oh god, gross, now I’m picturing it—”

“While I don’t need to hear more personal information,” Ron said, walking towards his office, “I am glad to hear that you aren’t at risk of getting fired.” He shut the door behind him firmly, but Leslie knew that for Ron, that was practically a warm seal of approval.

“Coulda done worse,” Donna said with a shrug. “Boy’s tiny, but he can get it.”

“Hey,” Leslie said sharply, because that was _her_ boy Donna was talking about. “Let’s get back to work, shall we?”

Everyone finally managed to settle down, and Leslie pretended to ignore the comments Tom made from his desk while they worked. When she finished reading through the dossier on the basketball teams that Chris had given her, she was more than happy for the excuse to send Ron and Tom out of the office.

It was clear that Tom’s usefulness extended to his referee uniform, so she decided to send Andy with them too. There was something going on with him—maybe with April? Leslie wasn’t sure—and she figured he could use the distraction. Not to mention, Ann had promised to come by with coffee later that morning, and Leslie knew Ann wasn’t ready for Andy to find out about Chris.

Ann showed up just as Leslie was ready to take a break. “I brought coffee,” she said with a grin, holding out the drink carrier for Leslie.

“Why’d they give you a carrier for just two drinks?” Leslie asked as she followed Ann out into the hall.

“I stopped by Chris’ office on the way here,” Ann admitted with a sheepish grin. “I brought him tea. It’s kind of great, actually. Now I can visit both of you at the same time.”

“But I still get you for my entire break, right?” Leslie demanded, glancing at her watch. “You promised me a full twenty minutes, Ann, and I—”

“I just stopped by to tell him hi, I promise,” Ann assured her, but Leslie could see the hint of a hickey on Ann’s collarbone. God, had Ben been in his office when Ann had stopped by? She’d have to ask him later. “So, are you happy to be back at work?”

“Well, our budget’s been slashed to zero,” Leslie said with a sigh. She was in the middle of outlining just how bad it was when Ann’s gaze shifted. Leslie turned her head, and there were Ben and Chris, walking down the hall.

It was the first time she’d seen Ben in City Hall since the shutdown ended, and she couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed at that. He looked so good standing there in his button-up and tie, and it took everything she had not to stare. She tried to focus on Chris’s small talk, but then he was asking Ann to talk to her for a moment and it was just Leslie and Ben, standing in the hall together.

“So, uh,” Ben said in a quiet voice, taking a step closer to her. “How’s the first day back?”

“Not as productive as I’d like it to be. This whole thing with only two basketball teams…” Leslie sighed. Her eyes kept darting down to Ben’s wrists, where just the barest hint of his cuff was visible from under his sleeves. And god, his tie kept dragging her gaze back up to his neck, making her think of what it would be like to drag him around by that tie like a leash.

“We had to fight to keep basketball,” Ben admitted in a quiet voice. “There really wasn’t enough money in the budget, but I—”

Leslie glanced up and down the hall, making sure no one was looking before she tugged him down for a quick kiss.

“Another reward for good behavior?” Ben asked a little breathlessly. Leslie loved how flustered she could make him from just a kiss. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, Ms. Knope.” And god, there was something about hearing Ben call her Ms. Knope that made her want to shove him into the nearest supply closet and really have her way with him. But there was no time for that.

“We shouldn’t kiss at work, but I’m pretty sure Chris pulled Ann away to make out with her,” she explained, grinning up at Ben.

“They were doing a little more than that when I came into my office earlier,” Ben said, making a face.

“I’m sure we can think of a way to get them back for that,” Leslie grinned, squeezing his hand. She glanced out into the courtyard, glad to see that whatever it was that Ann and Chris had been doing, they seemed to be wrapping it up. “I’ll see you after work, okay?”

“After work,” Ben agreed with a grin, heading towards his next meeting. Leslie stayed in the hall to watch him walk away, because who would willingly miss out on that view?

Chris greeted Leslie just as enthusiastically the second time when she interrupted him and Ann in the courtyard, but then he headed off, and Leslie finally had Ann to herself again. Ann looked flushed, but there were no new signs of hickeys, so Leslie figured they couldn’t have had too much fun out in the courtyard.

“Sorry about that,” Ann said as they sat down. “He’s just so…” she broke off into a sigh, grinning dopily down at her coffee.

“So’s Ben,” Leslie replied, although she was sure she didn’t sound half as lovesick as Ann did. Probably.

“Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?” Ann asked, grinning over at Leslie. “You’re finally having him over to your place, right?”

“Just for dinner,” Leslie clarified, taking a sip of her coffee that burnt her tongue. “Thanks again for helping me tidy up this weekend.”

“Did you make any more progress after I left?” Ann asked with a concerned look. “Or have you warned Ben what he’s getting into?”

“I don’t need to warn him,” Leslie frowned. “He’s my soulmate. He’ll be fine with it. Besides, he’s probably just as messy.” She knew from the glimpses she’d seen of his motel room that wasn’t true, but she wasn’t about to tell Ann that.

It was going to be fine. Leslie wouldn’t let herself worry about it while she was at work, not when she was so busy with everything else. (That was the same excuse that had her avoiding the three voicemails her mother had left her that morning.) She’d give her house another quick once over before Ben showed up for dinner, and everything would be fine.

Except then Jerry broke the copier, and Leslie had to go to the fourth floor to get the rest of the basketball flyers printed, and suddenly it was already half an hour after she’d meant to head home.

She was so screwed.

* * *

Ben got to Leslie’s house at six-thirty on the dot, two grocery bags in hand as he walked up to her front steps. He was excited to finally get to see Leslie’s place, and even more excited for the possibility of what might happen now that they would have a little more privacy.

“One second!” He heard Leslie call out after he knocked. There was a slightly concerning crash from behind the door, but a few moments later he heard the lock turn.

“You’re early,” Leslie accused as she opened the door. She peered out from behind it, not opening it wide enough for Ben to see behind her. “I didn’t finish tidying up. It’s a little messy.”

“I don’t mind,” Ben promised. “Maybe I can help you once I get dinner going?”

“It might take a little longer than that,” Leslie admitted, and then she pulled the door open.

Ben nearly dropped his grocery bags. ‘A little messy’ was a huge understatement. There were chest-high piles of newspapers and magazines, boxes stacked on boxes and topped with crates. Ben even thought he saw a rusty pogo stick leaning against a bookshelf, but why on Earth would Leslie need one of those?

“It’s kind of bad,” Leslie said in a quiet voice when Ben didn’t say anything right away. “Ann and I cleaned up, a little, and a few years ago I actually hired a professional to help, but I can never manage to keep it up. But it’s all organized, really, and—”

“It’s fine,” Ben promised, because even though it clearly wasn’t fine, he hated how nervous Leslie looked. At least this explained why she hadn’t had him over before now; he’d take Leslie being a secret hoarder over her not wanting him around any day. “Just show me to the kitchen and I can get to work.”

Leslie’s face broke out into a smile, and she leaned forward to give him a soft kiss. “Follow me,” she said as she pulled away. Ben had to watch her feet, mirroring her steps so that he could dodge trip hazards. The kitchen was, mercifully, a little bit cleaner. There was enough free counter space for Ben to unpack the groceries he’d brought.

“Can I help?” Leslie asked as Ben started poking through her cabinets until he found her cookware.

“Sure,” he said with a grin, pulling out a cutting board to get started on the onions. “You can pour us both glasses of wine, have a seat, and tell me all about your first day back.”

It felt so domestic to be puttering around Leslie’s kitchen, chatting about their days while he cooked. Ben had always been a bit of a service sub. He had always loved taking care of his doms, loved knowing he was meeting their needs. It had made him popular in college when everyone needed a good home-cooked meal. He’d spent the last few years on the road with Chris, though, and he hadn’t had a chance to dote on anyone for a while.

It was even better when Leslie would reach out from where she was leaning against the counter and rest her hand on his hip or the back of his neck. She was so casually possessive that it made Ben’s toes curl.

“So, wait,” Ben said, trying to focus on the conversation despite the way her fingers were brushing the edge of his back pocket. “Tom only married Wendy to get her citizenship, but he really liked her all along?”

“No, he didn’t realize he was in love with her until after they divorced. That’s what makes it so tragic!” Leslie explained, and her hand slid a little lower.

“But now she’s dating Ron? Ouch, that’s got to be rough,” Ben said, tasting a spoonful of the sauce.

“Mm, that’s really good,” Leslie said when he offered her some. “I should make you cook for me more often.”

“Anytime,” Ben said, flushing at the praise. “Maybe then you’d eat something other than waffles.”

“Wait, can you make waffles?” Leslie asked with a grin. “Next time, let’s do that.”

They ate at her kitchen table because the dining room table was piled so high with stuff that Ben couldn’t even find it at first. The kitchen table was small, and one of the chairs had a stack of phone books on it, so Ben ended up sitting next to Leslie instead of across from her. Their legs were pressed against each other, and the proximity made it very hard to concentrate on his food. When Leslie reached down halfway through the meal to rest her hand on his thigh, Ben nearly dropped his fork.

The tension between them was palpable, a low thrum of need that simmered in the background throughout the dinner. Afterward, while Ben was clearing the table and filling the dishwasher, Leslie went to the living room to turn on a documentary she’d told him about. Ben started out a respectful distance from her on the couch, but Leslie reached out and pulled him up against her side. The documentary was interesting, and Ben honestly wouldn’t have minded if all they did was cuddle and watch it together. Leslie, on the other hand, clearly had a different idea, because ten minutes into it she let out a frustrated groan.

“Are you okay?” Ben asked, turning to look at her.

“What gives you the right,” Leslie demanded as she climbed over to straddle his lap, “to be so distracting?” She leaned down to kiss him before he could respond, and then any hope of putting two words together was completely gone.

Leslie was tiny, but she still managed to completely cover him. Her chest pressed against his as her hands curled around him. Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging gently as she tilted his head back. She deepened the kiss with a soft brush of her tongue, and suddenly things started to heat up. The only thing that Ben could think about was the weight of her against his lap, the slide of her lips against his, and the effortless way she took control. He was already aching in his jeans, and it took everything in him to keep from grinding up against her.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” Leslie murmured as she started to kiss down his jaw. Her lips dragged against his stubble, a patch of skin that he must have missed when he shaved before coming over. She sucked over a particularly sensitive spot on his neck, and Ben couldn’t help but let out a moan. “Oh, you like that?” Leslie asked, and then she replaced her lips with her teeth. The bite was gentle, more exploratory than anything else, but it nearly made Ben come undone.

“Oh god, Leslie,” he gasped, bringing his hands up to clutch on her hips. He needed her closer, needed more, needed everything she was willing to give him.

“Did I say you could touch?” Leslie asked, her voice sharp and domineering. She pulled away from his neck, grabbing his wrists and tugging them up above his head. “Keep them here, and don’t move,” she demanded.

If Ben had been hard before, now it was nearly painful. “Yes ma’am,” he breathed, his eyes starting to feel heavy with the first tinglings of subspace. “I’ll be good.”

“You’d better,” Leslie said sharply, nipping his jaw in warning. She kept one hand on his wrists, pressing his arms against the couch as she leaned down to kiss him again. Her other hand slipped down to his collar, popping open the top few buttons so that her fingers could slide down over his chest. Her nails dragged against his skin, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to have him gasping against her mouth.

“Please,” he gasped, not sure what exactly he was begging for. “Please, Leslie, I need—”

“I’ve got you,” Leslie murmured, sucking the beginning of a bruise on the spot where his neck met his shoulder. It was almost too much, and despite her warning, Ben couldn’t help but press his hips up, grinding against her for one perfect moment.

But then she was pulling away, her hand flat on Ben’s chest, the firm pressure keeping him still. “We can’t do this,” Leslie said, and from the expression on her face, he could tell she really didn’t want to stop either. “We’ve already probably gone too far.”

“Why not?” Ben asked, still flirting on the edge of subspace. “Did I—”

“You didn’t do anything,” Leslie promised, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. “You were perfect, sweetheart. But we can’t jump into this without talking about it first. There’s a lot we have to do first. We need to talk about limits, birth control, STD testing… We haven’t even made a contract.”

“When can we do that?” Ben asked. He could be pragmatic; he knew that she had a point, as much as he didn’t want to stop. Even still, they’d been dating for months now. It had only taken Chris and Ann a few days to whip up a contract.

“We don’t need to rush into this,” Leslie told him, climbing off of his lap. She reached out, slowly doing up the buttons on his shirt for him. “We have our whole lives ahead of us.”

Hearing that brought a smile to Ben’s face. “I want to spend my whole life with you,” he murmured, tucking his face against her shoulder.

“You’re mine,” Leslie promised, pressing her thumb against the spot where she’d left a bruise. “Forever.”

She held him for a while, helping him slowly come back into his normal headspace while they watched the rest of the documentary.

“I have homework for you,” she told him as the credits rolled and Ben started to get his things together to leave. It turned out that she really did have a system amidst all of her clutter, because it only took her a few minutes to find what she wanted. She came back with a pile of books with titles like _Nonviolent Communication_ , _Yes Means Yes!_ , and _The S &M Feminist_. “Read all of these,” she told him as she walked him out to his car. “And take notes! Let me know if you have any questions. Oh, and schedule an appointment with your doctor to get tested. Do you have a doctor in Pawnee? If not, you should find one.”

Ben nodded eagerly, promising to take his time with the books. His instinct was to rush through them, to do everything as quickly as possible so that he could finally be with his dom. But he knew this was an opportunity to prove himself to her. He could be obedient. He could take this seriously, could put his entire effort into the research she wanted him to do. The twenty minutes they’d spent on the couch together had more than proved that she would be worth the wait.

He brought the first book on the pile with him to work the next morning, deciding to start reading it on his breaks. (Well, actually, he brought the second book on the pile with him, because he thought he might die if anyone saw him reading _She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman_ at his desk.) He took notes on a yellow legal pad, smiling every time he came to a section that Leslie had annotated. It turned out she really liked pink highlighter, and she left color-coded notes in the margins of her favorite parts.

During his lunch break, he called his insurance, and they referred him to a doctor. He was definitely overdue for a checkup, so he scheduled a general physical. When the doctor’s office recommended that he get a flu shot, he scheduled that as well. They couldn’t get him in for a few days, but since Ben knew it would take even longer than that for him to work through all of the books Leslie left him he didn’t mind. They emailed him forms to fill out before the appointment, and Ben stared down at the field for his current address. Writing out the Pawnee Super Suites was a reminder of how precarious this whole thing was. Their time in Pawnee was ticking down, and Ben needed to figure out his next steps before it was too late.

He spent the rest of his lunch break looking through job listings. There was an accounting firm that he thought might be a good option. He hadn’t considered moving into the private sector before, but there was something appealing about the idea of branching out. He was sure the salary would be a lot better than what the State of Indiana managed to give him.

He couldn’t ignore that niggling worry that he was jumping into things too quickly. Was he really ready to give up everything he’d been working on for the past decade to be with Leslie? His heart screamed yes, but the practical part of his mind wouldn’t shut up. His thoughts always bounced back to his parents, to how miserable they’d been before their divorce and how miserable they still were now. Breaking a bond with your soulmate was a pain that could never heal, and he’d seen first hand how bitter and angry it had left both of his parents. What if that happened with him and Leslie? Sure, things seemed perfect now, but what if a few years down the line that changed? What if she became controlling or selfish, or Ben realized that he cared about giving up his career more than he cared about her?

But, he reminded himself, he’d already proven that he was willing to stand up to her, back at the coffee shop months before. And Leslie had proven that she was willing to listen to him, that she could stop herself from steamrolling over him to get what she wanted.

So he downloaded the application, deciding to work on it between his assigned reading for Leslie. At this rate, he was going to have to start recording new episodes of Doctor Who, and god knew he would lag behind his once a week posting schedule for his latest TNG fanfiction.

Ben was settling back into work when Chris burst into their office, his face shining with tears. “I just listened to the most moving presentation I have ever heard,” Chris said, rushing over to Ben’s desk. “I know that you’re not involved with any decisions regarding the Parks Department, but—”

“But you just approved something that you’re not sure that you should have?” Ben asked with a dry smile. When they’d finalized Ben’s recusal from the Parks Department, Ben had offered to take over the Transportation Department, so that Chris wouldn’t have an unequal workload. So far, Ben hadn’t had to ask Chris to look over the Transportation Department's budget at all, but Chris had asked him to glance over Parks things several times.

“Leslie’s proposal was phenomenal,” Chris said, handing over a folder. “And I’m sure you would have come to the same conclusion I did.”

“I’ll glance over it,” Ben said with a sigh. “But I really don’t want to make a habit of this.”

“Of course not,” Chris agreed.

Ben was a little surprised that Leslie hadn’t mentioned her idea to him the night before, since she had really struggled with the not-talking-about-work thing. His eyebrows raised as he finished glancing through the packet; he might not have shared Chris’s level of praise, but he couldn’t deny that it was very impressive work. Leslie had an idea that would generate revenue, which was exactly what Ben had told her she needed a few weeks before. That she’d staked her professional reputation on it wasn’t surprising, but that her entire department had backed her in it kind of was.

But maybe it shouldn’t have been, because Ben had seen first hand just how easily Leslie managed to get things done. If anyone could pull this off, it was clearly her.

“I think you made the right decision,” Ben said, handing Chris back the paperwork. His answering grin was blinding.

Ben didn’t have plans to see Leslie that night, and he really was swamped with work, but that didn’t stop him from wandering down to the Parks Department once he’d finished for the day.

“I thought you’d still be here,” Ben said as he popped his head into her office. The rest of the department had already cleared out, but Leslie was deep into a pile of work.

“Hey,” she said, breaking into a grin at the sight of him. “What are you doing here?”

“Chris told me about your proposal for the Harvest Festival,” Ben said, coming in to sit by her desk. “I just wanted to tell you that I think it sounds great.”

“Really?” Leslie asked, and now she was positively beaming. Ben loved being on the other side of that smile. “I wondered what you’d think about it. I wondered if you’d think it was too risky.”

“It is a little risky,” Ben acknowledged, “especially since you’re staking your job on it. But if the Freddie Spaghetti concert taught me anything, it’s that no one should ever bet against Leslie Knope.”

Leslie got up from her desk at that, coming over to his side to give him a kiss. “I know we’re not supposed to talk about work,” she said, carding her fingers through his hair, “but I really would love to have you go over some of the numbers with me. That’s more your area of expertise than mine.”

“As your boss, I really can’t, but as your boyfriend, I think I can take a look,” he said, because he couldn’t find it in himself to tell her no.

“And as your girlfriend, I think I can express my thanks in the form of brownies,” Leslie grinned down at him. “And maybe some making out…”

“Oh, yeah?” Ben asked, leaning up for another quick kiss. “I think I like the sound of that.”

“Not too much making out,” she chided, pulling away from him. “You still have some books to read, don’t you?”

“I started one of them today,” he told her, and then she was grilling him, rapid-fire questions about everything he’d read.

“I’m impressed with your attention to detail,” Leslie said once he’d finished outlining his thoughts on the second chapter, “and that you’re taking this so seriously. I appreciate that.”

Ben glowed under her praise.

The conversation shifted back to the Harvest Festival, and Ben started to go over the preliminary budgets she’d made. He quickly identified a few cost-saving measures, double checking the numbers on a few more. Leslie moved back to her desk, but she pulled his chair closer so that she could hold his hand as they worked together in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Ben was just getting in his car to drive to Leslie’s when the clinic called with his test results.

He’d spent nearly every evening the past few weeks at Leslie’s place, making her dinner and working through his pile of books while she planned the Harvest Festival. Sometimes they’d talk about what he was reading, Leslie asking him questions or wanting to know his opinions on certain parts, but most of the time they just cuddled quietly. At some point during the evening, one of them—usually Leslie—would get a little distracted and start a make out session that always ended sooner than Ben would have liked.

The one positive about not having made a contract yet was that there was no rule saying he couldn’t jerk off as soon as he got back to the privacy of his motel room. Even still, he always woke up aching, clinging to the remnants of another Leslie-centric dream.

Now that he’d gotten his test results back, there was one less barrier to finally being with Leslie. He’d made good progress on his required reading, which made him hopeful that maybe tonight they’d finally get to do more than make out. They’d finally have The Talk and get everything sorted away, and then Leslie would pin him down on the couch and—

He couldn’t let himself follow that train of thought or he’d be hard when he went to knock on Leslie’s door. She normally had it thrown open almost before he was parked, but tonight he had to wait a few moments for her to let him in.

“Sorry, I was upstairs,” she explained, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. Her hair was a little mussed like she’d been lying down, and Ben couldn’t help but imagine just what she’d been doing upstairs. “I guess I’ve been so focused on the Chamber of Commerce meeting that I haven’t been getting enough sleep. I drifted off in the middle of revising my binder.”

Well, that certainly put a damper on his fantasies. When he looked a little closer, he could see the imprint of a binder ring on her cheek.

“You’re more than prepared for it,” Ben promised. He’d heard her give her speech so many times that he probably had it memorized himself, so he knew first hand how ready she was. “Why don’t you pause on the work for a little while and just relax? We’ll have dinner, maybe watch a movie?”

“Ben, sweetheart, I can’t relax,” Leslie said, shaking her head as he came inside. “This meeting is important. If I can’t get enough local businesses to join, then—”

“Then the Harvest Festival will fall apart,” Ben said, echoing her frequent rant. “But it’s not going to fall apart, Leslie. You’re very convincing. And besides, you already know you have JJ on your side, right?”

“Not officially, but I can’t imagine that he’ll say no,” Leslie agreed with a grin. “Are you sure that you don’t want to come with Tom and me tomorrow to ask him about the Chamber of Commerce meeting?”

“I can’t,” Ben reminded her, squeezing her hip so that she’d know that he wished that he could. “I’m not working with the Parks Department, remember?”

He headed back to her kitchen, which had become more his kitchen than hers over the past few weeks. He’d completely reorganized it—apart from her baking supplies, which she wouldn’t let him touch—so that it was less cluttered and a little easier to work in. He’d even been keeping the fridge stocked with actual groceries rather than just cans of whipped cream. Leslie had been slipping money into his wallet to pay for them, and Ben had been slipping it right back into her purse. They’d probably passed the same fifty dollar bill between the two of them a dozen times by now.

Leslie dropped the subject for a little while, but she came back to it over dinner. The risotto was clearly not Leslie’s favorite, since she was barely picking at it. “I’ve been reading up on the state of Indiana’s policy on personal relationships in the government,” she said, with an expression that said she was trying to appear more casual than she felt. “As long as we disclose our soulbond, which we have, there’s no rule that says we can’t work together. We just have to maintain a commitment to integrity and be willing for our work to be scrutinized a little more thoroughly, should anyone question it.”

“I’ve read about that too,” Ben said, watching as she pushed food around with her fork. Maybe it was the saffron she didn’t like? But no, she’d loved the paella he’d made the week before. “That’s referring to bonded couples, though. We’re not officially bonded.”

“Not yet,” Leslie corrected with a grin that made Ben’s stomach flip. “But give it a week or two and we will be. You had your doctor's appointment last week, right? When do you hear back about that?”

“I heard back from them today, actually,” Ben grinned, and that redirected the conversation for a little while.

Leslie wanted to wait until after the Chamber of Commerce meeting to have their talk so that they wouldn’t have any distractions. “If we do it on a Friday after work, we’ll have the whole weekend in front of us,” she pointed out with a wink. “Do you think you could clear up your schedule?”

“Yeah, I think I could manage that,” Ben said, ducking his head down to hide his blush.

He took their plates to the sink—Leslie’s still nearly full, and had the risotto really been that bad?—and they moved to the couch. Leslie had a binder in her lap and a pen in one hand, and Ben grabbed the second to last book on his list. This one was a little more explicit, and it had him squirming against Leslie’s side, trying not to be too obvious about how it was affecting him. He almost expected Leslie to call him out on it, but she was quiet against his shoulder. When she did start speaking, though, Ben had a hard time deciphering it.

“If we charge extra for the petting zoo we won’t have to pay the mimes in bananas,” she murmured.

“Since when are we hiring mimes?” Ben asked, looking up from his book to see that Leslie had fallen asleep. He’d never seen her sleeping before, and he couldn’t help but grin at the realization that she talked in her sleep. It fit with everything he knew about her; of course Leslie wouldn’t let a little thing like her need for sleep keep her from working.

Ben shifted a little, helping to ease Leslie into a more comfortable position. He moved slowly, not wanting to wake her. Her face ended up pressed against his chest, and Ben curled his arms around her. It was so nice, lying like this, her body warm against his.

Almost too warm, when he stopped to think about it. He reached down, sliding her hair out of the way so that he could feel her forehead.

“What’re you doing?” Leslie murmured, the movement enough to wake her up. She pulled herself up, rubbing her hands over her face. “Did I fall asleep?

“Leslie, are you feeling okay?” Ben asked, reaching for her forehead again. “You feel like you might have a fever.”

“What?” Leslie asked, suddenly wide awake. She jerked away from him, pressing her own hand to her forehead. “No, no, I can’t be sick. I don’t get sick, actually. I had perfect attendance for twelve years in school—thirteen if you count kindergarten, seventeen if you count college, which I do.”

“Okay,” Ben allowed, grinning despite his concern. “But you do feel a little warm. Do you have a thermometer?”

“Why would I need a thermometer if I never get sick?” Leslie countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Why do you need a hamster ball if you don’t have a hamster?” Ben said, gesturing to the plastic ball that was wedged between two piles of boxes on her floor. “Or that creepy clown doll, or—”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Leslie grumbled. “I have a thermometer in the bathroom.”

“Then why don’t you go grab it and show me that you’re not sick so I can stop bugging you about it?”

“I’m supposed to be the one in charge here,” Leslie reminded him with a frown as she got up from the couch. She came back with the thermometer poking out from under her tongue. When it beeped she pulled it out of her mouth, looking down at the screen with a triumphant grin.

“See! I’m not sick,” she said, thrusting it in his face. “That’s definitely in the range of normal. I run a little hot.”

“Or you have a low-grade fever.”

“Ben, I can’t be sick,” Leslie groaned. “I have the Chamber of Commerce meeting tomorrow. Everything’s riding on this! If I take a sick day, Chris and Tom will have to cover for me. I know he’s your best friend, Ben, but can you really imagine Chris leading the Chamber of Commerce meeting? He’ll get Sue’s Salads to sign up and scare all the vendors that people actually like away!”

“You do have a point,” Ben admitted with a frown. “Okay, how about you take some cold medicine and get some sleep? Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning. We can play it by ear.”

“I’ll feel perfect in the morning,” Leslie assured him with an eager nod. “It’s just a little fluke, I’m sure of it. In fact, I’ll feel so good tomorrow that I’ll bring you back breakfast from JJ’s after my morning meeting!”

“Just promise me you’ll actually sleep tonight?” Ben asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Pinky promise,” Leslie said, and they shook pinkies on it.

* * *

As promised—because Leslie could never break a promise, let alone a pinky promise—Leslie took her cold medicine and went to bed. She’d been sure that she’d feel better in the morning, but when she woke up her head was throbbing and her stomach was feeling even more twisted than it had been the night before. Ben had sent her a text asking how she was feeling, and while his concern was sweet, she really didn’t have time to argue with him about it. She texted back that she was feeling great, and hoped that after another dose of meds it wouldn’t be a lie. If she took two doses of cold medicine would it work twice as fast? No, that probably wasn’t right. Ann would know, but then, Ann would probably agree with Ben that she was too sick to work, so asking her was out.

She and Tom met with JJ, and for the first time in her life she didn’t feel up to eating her order of waffles. That clued Tom in, and he was almost as bad as Ben had been. He and the rest of the office all crowded into the conference room, making her quarantine herself in her office and call into their meeting. It’s excessive and unnecessary; it was clearly just allergies, and she was honestly feeling so much better now!

They didn’t listen to her, and Tom even threatened to go down to Ben’s office and let him know that she wasn’t feeling well.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t want you here while you’re sick,” Jerry said through the phone.

“Yeah, he’d much rather be sitting by your bedside and feeding you soup,” Tom called out.

“No one is going to feed me soup!” Leslie glared at them through the window.

“I wouldn’t mind a pretty boy like that feeding me soup,” Donna said under her breath, just loud enough to be picked up by the phone. And really, what choice did Leslie have but to throw her notepad in Donna’s direction?

She couldn’t hide from Ben forever, though. Chris came by that afternoon to check in about the Chamber of Commerce meeting, and Ben was tagging along behind him. As soon as Chris realized that she was sick he was sprinting away from her, spouting some nonsense about his body being like a microwave or something. Leslie wasn’t entirely sure.

“You told me you were feeling better,” Ben said with a concerned frown, reaching out to feel her forehead. Leslie rested her head against his hand, because keeping her head up was starting to feel like more and more of a challenge.

“I’ll feel better after the Chamber of Secrets meeting,” she murmured, letting her eyes fall shut for a moment.

“Commerce,” Ben corrected, but wasn’t that what she’d said? “Leslie, you can’t stay here like this. Come on, let’s get you to a doctor.”

“I want Ann,” Leslie said, blinking up at him. “Ann’s my doctor, and she’s the most beautiful nurse in the world.”

“Of course,” Ben said, reaching out to help her up. He grabbed her bag, letting her curl against his side as he led her to the parking lot.

When they got to his car, Leslie saw her reflection in his side mirror. She looked miserable and disgusting, her face sweaty and pale. Ben either didn’t notice or care, pressing a kiss to her temple as he helped her into his car.

“Are you mad that I came into work?” she asked, glancing over at him as he buckled his seatbelt.

“I wish you hadn’t, but it doesn’t surprise me that you did,” Ben said. “I just want you to feel better, Leslie. Seeing you like this…” he trailed off. Leslie tried to focus, but her head was cloudy enough that she’d almost forgotten what they were talking about when he spoke up again. His voice was quiet, his eyes glued to the road in front of him. “It’s my job to take care of you too, you know? This thing goes both ways. And when you’re hurting, it makes me feel like I’m failing you.”

“No,” Leslie said, just coherent enough to know that he was wrong. “You’re not—Ben, you’re doing great, it’s a—you’re a...” she struggled to find the words, pushing through her feverish haze. “Good boy,” she finally said, nodding when that sounded right.

Ben’s expression softened at that, his cheeks flushing slightly. Leslie wondered for a moment if that meant he was feverish too, but they pulled into the hospital parking lot before she could ask. Nepotism meant that they could bypass the lobby and check-in process, so they went straight to Ann’s floor.

“Leslie? What are you doing here?” Ann asked when she saw them from down the hall. “Oh god, you look terrible. Is it that flu that’s going around?” she asked when they got a little closer.

“I think so,” Ben said with a nod. “She had a slight fever last night, but now she’s burning up. I tried to get her to stay home, but—”

“But I didn’t need to because I’m not sick,” Leslie said. The floor started to spin, so she sat down on the gurney against the wall. “I have a lot of work to do, Ann, I can’t go home.”

Ann shoved a thermometer in her mouth, not listening to her at all. Leslie should have never introduced Ben and Ann, since they were clearly conspiring against her. When the thermometer beeped Ann pulled it out, glancing down at it. “104.1. Leslie, you’re dehydrated. I’m admitting you.”

She tried to protest, but Ann wasn’t having it. She got her moved into a room, bringing her a gown to change into.

“Uh, do you want me to turn around?” Ben asked, and if Leslie’s head didn’t hurt so much she would’ve thought his awkwardness was adorable. If she hadn’t felt so sweaty and gross, she might have even tried to put on a show of taking off her clothes. Instead, she made him turn around and slowly got into the gown, every movement a strenuous effort.

“Ben, I have to go to that Chamber of Commerce meeting,” she told him when she was finally in the bed. “You know Chris can’t do it for me.”

“What about Tom?” Ben frowned, chewing on his lip. “I’m sure he could handle it.”

“He’ll turn it into a sales pitch for the Snakehole,” Leslie groaned. “It has to be me. No one else knows the presentation as well as I do.”

Except, that wasn’t exactly true. There was one other person who’d heard her presentation three times this week.

“Wait,” she exclaimed, sitting up in bed so quickly that Ben rushed over to steady her. “Ben! You can do it! You know my speech.”

“I’m not supposed to work on Parks—” Ben started, but Leslie shook her head. That made her dizzy, and she had to clutch his arm until the bed stopped spinning.

“Make an exception,” Leslie begged when she could focus again. “Chris will say yes if you ask. Please, Ben, you said you wanted to help me.”

“That’s not playing fair,” Ben sighed, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. “But… okay. I’ll talk to Chris and see if I can give the presentation.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Leslie exclaimed. “Should we practice it? Do you want to—”

“I should probably get going if I want to talk to Chris before the meeting,” Ben sighed, looking at his watch. “I’d wanted to stay here with you. I hate leaving you alone.”

“She’s not alone,” Ann said as she came back into the room. “She has me. I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

Ben left with another quick kiss to her forehead, and Leslie collapsed into a feverish sleep for an hour or so. When she woke back up, the flu medicine must have kicked in, because her brain felt sharper than it had in a while.

Sharp enough, in fact, to give a presentation. She stole some extra medication—just to be safe—called a cab, and made her way over to the Chamber of Commerce meeting before anyone could catch her. She trusted Ben to do a good job with the presentation, of course, but she knew that she could do an even better job. This was her project, after all, and her job on the line.

“Leslie, what are you doing here?” Ben exclaimed, rushing over to her side. “Did Ann discharge you already?”

“Not exactly, no,” Leslie said with a frown. “But I was feeling better, so I thought that I’d come down here and do the presentation so that you didn’t have to cover for me.”

“Leslie, you’re still burning up,” Ben said, slipping his arm around her back to steady her when she started to wobble. “You’re in no shape to give a presentation.”

“Ben,” she said, clutching his shoulder and staring into his eyes intensely. He had such lovely eyes, all deep and warm and brown. She felt like she could get lost in them for days, but maybe that was just her fever talking. “Ben, do you trust me? I need you to trust me, okay?”

“Of course I trust you,” Ben breathed.

“Then trust me when I say that I can do this,” she told him, and he slowly nodded his agreement. He helped her with her nametag and led her to the stage, getting her situated before it started. She could see from his face that he was nervous, still slightly unsure that she could handle it even if he wasn’t going to try to stop her. Well, she’d show him.

And she did. The presentation went flawlessly, and even in her drugged out fog she could tell that he was impressed. He looked stunned, maybe even a little bit in awe. Leslie really liked putting that look on his face.

She started losing steam during the Q&A, and Ben immediately got up to take over. God, she’d always thought watching a man talk at a podium was hot, but Ben was another level of gorgeous. She could stare at him all day.

When she told Tom that, he made a retching noise and said he thought it was time to take Leslie back to the hospital. She wanted to stay and watch Ben work, but she let herself be dragged away because lying in a bed sounded so appealing.

As soon as she got back into a hospital bed she fell asleep, missing out on the tail end of Ann’s lecture. (Apparently you weren’t supposed to steal other people’s medicine and leave the hospital without being discharged. Who knew?)

When she woke up it was dark, and someone else was curled around her on the tiny hospital bed. “Ben?” she asked, rubbing her face as she sat up.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Ben said, and he started to pull away from her.

“No, don’t go,” Leslie said with a yawn, pulling his arm back around her waist.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here,” she told him. “How did the rest of the meeting go?”

“Well, you said you needed eighty total businesses to participate?” he asked, and she nodded, holding her breath. “We have a hundred and ten, and counting.”

She pulled away from him at that, nearly falling out of bed as she turned to look at him. Ben reached out, grabbing her shoulder before they could both topple to the floor. “Ben, we did it!” she exclaimed, grinning at him wildly.

“You did it,” Ben said, his smile soft. “Even if you did nearly give me a heart attack when I saw you in the hall, drunk on cough syrup after your prison break.”

“Ann already yelled at me,” she promised him, settling back into his arms.

“So I hear,” Ben laughed. “You should get some more rest. I think they’ll let you go home in the morning.”

“Stay here,” she murmured, drifting off as he pulled her closer to his chest.

* * *

Ben slipped out of Leslie’s hospital bed early the next morning, wanting to run to JJ’s and get some waffles for her before she woke up. He already had plans to make her chicken soup when he brought her home, but he knew nothing made her happier than JJ’s. His phone was almost dead since he hadn’t charged it the night before, but he still managed to listen to Chris’ voicemail before the battery died.

Leslie was just as thrilled as he thought she’d be with the waffles, and that made her a little less grumpy when Ann told her she’d need to prove that she could keep them down before she’d be released. An hour later and they were starting with the discharge paperwork, so Ben slipped away to find Chris before they left.

“Got your message. What’s up?” he asked as he came into Chris’ room. Somehow, even though they’d both slept in hospital beds the night before, Chris still looked as handsome and put together as he always did. Ben, on the other hand, had a mountain of bedhead and a very wrinkled shirt.

“I got a call from the boys upstairs,” Chris said, as he tied his sneakers, “and they have a new assignment for us.”

“Fuck. That came faster than I’d thought,” Ben said with a sigh, sitting on the hospital bed across from Chris. “I’m hoping I’ll hear back from that accounting firm, but—”

“I feel like we should ask for an extension to stay here,” Chris interrupted, shaking his head. “Not just because of our… our personal situations, but—”

“Yes, definitely,” Ben jumped in with an eager nod. It wasn’t entirely ethical, but if Chris was going to give them the option, then Ben wouldn’t say no. “The Festival thing’s getting pretty huge, and uh, we’ve got a couple loose ends that need tying up.”

“You’re working with Parks again?” Chris asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll be helping with the Harvest Festival? That’s good, that’ll explain why we both need to stay.”

“Uh, yeah,” Ben nodded. “I know there’s some precedent, um, that since we’re soulmates working together is above board.”

“Exactly,” Chris agreed. “So I’ll make the call then, get the extension?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Ben agreed, and then he decided to stop beating around the bush. “But we can’t keep pushing it back forever, can we?”

“No, I suppose we can’t,” Chris said with a sigh. “I was thinking a little about it, about your situation in particular. We could talk to Paul, see if there’s any way we could finagle you into a more permanent position in City Government.”

“Chris, we’re supposed to be reducing spending, not creating jobs,” Ben said, shaking his head.

“If we created a job for you, you could help make sure Pawnee doesn’t fall back into its old, fiscally irresponsible ways,” Chris pointed out.

“What about you?” Ben asked. “You’re still thinking you’ll take Ann with you to Indianapolis? You don’t want to stay here?”

“If a position opened up, I think I’d stay here,” Chris said after he considered it for a moment. “Ann loves it here, and Pawnee is literally one of my favorite cities in Indiana. But ultimately, being with Ann is all that matters, whether that’s here or in Indianapolis.”

“Leslie’s never going to forgive you if you make Ann move away,” Ben laughed, not entirely sure that he was joking.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that then,” Chris said. “We’ll start with this extension, see where it takes us, yeah?”

Ben agreed, and then Chris was racing out of the hospital room, going on a run like he hadn’t been puking his guts up the night before. He headed out after him, meeting Leslie as she was being discharged.

“Thanks for taking me home,” Leslie said as they walked out, “and for making me come to the hospital in the first place.”

“I was pretty worried about you. You were in rough shape.” He darted his hand out, resting on her shoulder when they near the curb. He wasn't entirely sure she’d gotten her balance back yet.

“Ann thinks I’m through the worst of it now. You can drop me off at home and get back to City Hall,” she promised him as she got into the car.

“I already asked Chris for the rest of the day off,” Ben said, shaking his head. “I was thinking we’d get you home, put on a documentary, and later on I’ll make you some of my mom’s famous chicken noodle soup.”

“That… sounds kind of wonderful, honestly,” Leslie smiled. “But I don’t want you to feel like you have to, Ben. I can take care of myself, I promise.”

“I kind of… like taking care of you,” he admitted. Ben could feel the flush creeping up his neck, glad that driving gave him an excuse not to meet her eyes. “It’s sort of, um, a thing for me.”

“Oh?” Leslie asked, and he could hear the teasing grin in her voice. “Ben’s got a little bit of a thing for service submission, I’ll make a note of that.” Her hand reached out, settling on his thigh. “I think I like having you take care of me too, if you were wondering.”

“I’m glad to hear we’re compatible,” Ben said, darting a look at her.

“I’m really looking forward to finding out exactly how compatible we really are,” Leslie said in a low voice, and Ben was sure she could see the effect that comment had on him.

She didn’t call him out on it though, and he managed to calm down by the time they made it back to her place. She let him dote on her for the rest of the day, lazing on the couch while he brought her medicine or soup or whatever book she wanted to read.

It was only eight when she started to tire out again, and Ben gently woke her when she fell asleep in the middle of an episode of _The American Experience_.

“Leslie, why don’t you go upstairs and go to bed?” he asked in a quiet voice, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

“It’s still early,” Leslie said, stretching as she sat up on the couch. Her shirt drifted up, and Ben made himself look away. It was probably a dick move to ogle someone who was sick, right?

“You’re still sick,” Ben pointed out.

“Fine, I’ll go to bed,” Leslie conceded with a yawn. “On one condition: you come up and tuck me in.”

“I think I can manage that,” Ben laughed. “I’ll get you another dose of medicine and a glass of water, and you go get ready for bed. Call me when you’re ready for me, and I’ll come upstairs.”

Ben got the meds and waited for Leslie to call down, but after fifteen minutes he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. He went up the stairs slowly, feeling a little like he was intruding. Leslie had asked him to come tuck her in, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d never been to her bedroom before. The door was open when he got upstairs, and Ben’s guess was proven right. Leslie was sprawled out on her bed, already deeply asleep. Ben tiptoed inside, not wanting to disturb her as he left the medicine on her nightstand.

Her bedroom was just as cluttered as the main floor was, so Ben had to move carefully to keep from knocking anything over. There were few binders in a stack on her nightstand, and Ben pushed them to the side so that he could set down the glass of water.

He didn’t mean to snoop, but his eye spotted his name written on the cover of the binder on the top of the pile. Once he’d glanced at it, he couldn’t help but read the rest of the title. His face flushed, torn between wanting to throw the binder open and read all of Leslie’s plans for him and the knowledge that doing that would be a violation of her privacy. He couldn’t do that to her. He didn’t want to be the type of guy that would do something like that to her. That didn’t make stepping back from the nightstand any easier.

The binder was thick, and he could see tabs and post-its sticking out of its edges. He wondered how long she’d been working on it. When had she started making it? Was it only recently, after they’d made out on the couch and she’d realized that they’d be consummating their bond sooner rather than later? Or had it been earlier than that, maybe back to their first date on the night of the Freddy Spaghetti concert?

Or maybe, he thought, reaching down to slide a blanket over Leslie before he left the room, she’d started it years ago, back when all she knew about her submissive was the name _Ben Wyatt_ on her wrist. Ben didn’t know which it was, but he really couldn’t wait to find out.


	6. Chapter 6

Ben had imagined that his shift to working with the Parks Department would be a slow progression. He started with going over the numbers for the Harvest Festival. He’d already been doing that, of course, but now he’d do it at his desk in an official capacity, rather than peering over Leslie’s shoulder on her couch. Working with Parks would probably only impact a slight percentage of his time, he figured.

In reality, though, telling Leslie that he was working with Parks again was like flipping a switch. Suddenly she wanted his eyes on almost everything that came by her desk. She was constantly poking her head into his office, asking his opinion on the quote they’d received for tents or the number of medical staff they’d need for the number of visitors they were expecting. Ben knew that she could answer those questions on her own, but it still felt nice that she wanted his opinion. He liked knowing that she trusted his judgment, and he really liked getting to see her more often. He started spending more and more time in the Parks Department, slowly getting to know her coworkers better.

He even spent two very long days with Leslie running a disorderly public forum about whether or not they should put someone’s dog’s ashes into a time capsule. He loved getting to see Leslie in her element, and he felt like he was starting to understand why she loved Pawnee so much. He couldn’t imagine attending a public forum like that in any of the other towns he’d audited.

More exciting than any of that, though, was finally finishing the last book on Leslie’s list of required reading. They were curled up on her couch, Leslie drawing up a preliminary map of booths while he read. He snapped his book shut when he finished, loud enough to make her look up from her work.

“Finished?” she asked. “That was the last one, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” Ben said, turning so he could see her face. “Does that mean we’re ready to make our contract?”

“It does,” Leslie grinned. She reached out and took his chin, tilting his head so that she could kiss him. Ben let the book fall to the floor, slipping his arms around her to pull her closer. Her fingers curled into his hair, tugging gently as she pulled away. “We’re not starting anything now,” she warned him. “Friday, okay? I need to focus on getting Chief Trumple’s favor. I want to be able to give you my entire focus, not be worried about making sure this event goes over well.”

“I can wait,” Ben promised, because he’d already waited this long. He could handle a few more days. “Maybe I’ll draw up some ideas while you’re at the event tomorrow. You know, work on a draft.”

“No, you can’t do that,” Leslie frowned. “You’re going to the party too, Ben. I need your support. Besides, what if he has any questions about numbers? You’re the one who determined how many cops we’d need.”

Ben had been worried she might say that. He’d done his best not to get involved with organizing the event so that he could get out of attending it, but it was so hard to say no to Leslie. Even still, going to a bar full of cops was something out of his worst nightmares, and he really didn’t think he could stomach it. They’d all have guns, and then he wouldn’t be able to stop staring at their guns, and then they’d think he looked suspicious, and then—

He had to cut his thoughts off before he started spiraling, his heart already beating a little too fast in his chest.

“You’ve read over my proposal,” he said, trying to sound calmer than he felt. “I’m sure you can handle any questions that come up. You don’t need me there.”

“No, I don’t,” she agreed, and then she was pulling away from him, putting some distance between them on the couch. “But I want you there. Why don’t you want to be there?”

“I’m not a huge fan of cops,” he said after a beat. “Just, going to a cop bar, you know, with all of them there… I get nervous.”

“You don’t have anything to be nervous about,” Leslie said. “Chief Trumple is a really nice guy. I’ll introduce you personally, and you’ll see. And besides, there’s going to be free beer and pizza. You wouldn’t pass up free beer and pizza, would you?”

“I might be more willing to go if there were going to be calzones,” Ben said.

“No one likes calzones, Ben,” Leslie threw a pillow at him, and somehow that turned into them making out. By the end of the night, Ben had almost forgotten that he didn’t want to go to the event.

* * *

Since the sucking-up-to-the-police-department-so-they'd-volunteer-for-the-Harvest-Festival event was after work, they had carpooled that morning so that they could arrive together. Leslie was pretty sure that if she didn’t drive Ben to the bar, he wouldn’t show up at all. She was sympathetic to his fear, of course, but Ben really was the best person to answer any questions that came up.

And also, wasn’t the whole point of having a soulmate the fact that you’d always have a plus one for work events? Leslie thought so, and she wasn’t going to let Ben get out of this one. Together, they’d organize a great event, charm Chief Trumple, and convince him to help out with the Harvest Festival.

Everything seemed to be going well when they first got to the bar. Leslie got them both a drink, hoping that the beer would help settle Ben’s nerves. They slowly did the rounds, Leslie introducing Ben to everyone she knew. She didn’t mention that she knew them because they had been Dave’s friends; she figured Ben was stressed enough as it was.

Ben hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said that cops made him nervous. She’d never seen him like this before. He was twitchy and awkward, stumbling over his words, making confusing non-sequiturs, somehow saying too much and not enough all at the same time. She kept a hand on his waist, hoping that the contact would steady him, but it didn’t seem to do much good.

After an especially uncomfortable interaction with Chief Trumple, Leslie pulled Ben off to the side. If Ben couldn’t settle down, there was no way that they’d be able to get their favor. Beyond that, Leslie hated seeing him so worked up. It made her protective instincts flair, and she knew it was her job to help him get his head together.

“I was going somewhere with that,” Ben started to protest, but Leslie just shook her head.

“You’re all over the place tonight,” Leslie said, taking his hand. “Can you handle this? If you’re going to be this stressed, I can ask Ron to take you home? I’m sure he won’t mind leaving early; he hates these things.”

“No,” Ben shook his head. “I’m sorry–”

Whatever he was going to say got cut off by the arrival of Tom, with a manipulative, psychotic, library-book-pedaling, sex-crazed she-demon on his arm. Leslie was immediately on edge. She’d seen first hand what Tammy Two was capable of, and just how far she could drag Ron down with her.

But Ron wasn’t the only one caught in the crosshairs of Tammy Two’s mania this time. Tom—who clearly had no sense of self-preservation—had walked straight into the belly of the beast. Leslie was going to have to come to his rescue because she couldn’t stomach the thought of Tammy sinking her claws into the little man. But Tammy Two hadn’t noticed Ben yet, and Leslie didn’t want that to change.

So she tugged on Ben’s arm, moving so that she was standing in front of him, and let Ron run to Tom’s rescue instead.

It escalated almost faster than she could follow, with shouting turning into Tammy Two slapping Ron full-force across his face. Leslie rushed forward to help Ron, but the swarm of cops got there first. The next thing she knew, Ron and Tammy Two were leaving the bar together.

“You’re not going to arrest her?” Leslie demanded, crossing her arms to glare at the nearest cop. “We all saw what happened—she assaulted him! You can’t just let him leave with her!”

They told her that the situation had been resolved, and Leslie knew trying to argue it would just cause more drama. There had been enough drama for one night, and Ben was starting to look antsy again.

“Let’s get you home,” she told Ben. He tried to protest—they hadn’t asked for their favor, after all—but Leslie just walked them both to the car. She tried to keep calm for his sake, but her hands still gripped the steering wheel a little too tight as she simmered with rage. Seeing a dom abuse their power like that was always disgusting, but having her friend on the other side of it was even worse. She felt sick with it, hating how she couldn’t do anything to protect Ron.

“I’m sorry that I made you go,” Leslie said as she walked Ben up to his motel room. “And that I manhandled you when Tammy Two showed up. I didn’t want her getting her claws in you.”

“I like it when you manhandle me,” Ben said with a flirty grin. “It was kind of nice, you know? I like knowing you’re there to protect me.”

“I just wish I could’ve protected Ron too,” Leslie sighed. “I’m sorry, I know I promised you a reward, but I can’t stop worrying about Ron.”

Ben told her he understood, and when he looked at her with his soft brown eyes she almost followed him back into his motel room. But she was in no shape to do anything with him that night, so she kissed him goodnight and went home.

She couldn’t fall asleep, her thoughts racing even faster than they normally did. What terrible things might Tammy Two be doing to Ron at that very moment? Could Leslie have done more to stop her? Her mind kept darting back to Ben, thinking about how stressed he’d looked at the bar. Why hadn’t she listened to him when he’d said he didn’t want to go? Was she just as bad as Tammy Two, forcing her sub to bend to her will without any care for his feelings? The thought made her sick with guilt.

It was a very long night.

When Leslie got to her desk the next morning, she had a voicemail from Chief Trumple saying that they’d finally gotten around to arresting Tammy Two. It would have been a relief, were it not for the fact that they’d locked up Ron as well. She used her favor without a second thought; her friends always came first.

Once the dust settled and she knew Ron was safely out of Tammy Two’s hands, she finally got back to work. She needed to come up with a new strategy to talk to Chief Trumple, and some sort of contingency plan in case he didn’t say yes. Time slipped away from her, and the next thing she knew, Ben was standing in the door to her office.

“I’m sorry about the whole mess,” she told him since they’d ended things on such a low note the night before. “The crisis has been averted, so let’s go talk to the chief.”

“Oh, I already talked to him,” Ben said, leaning against her door frame casually. “They’ll give us the hours we need, no problem.”

“You can barely string two words together in front of him, and you went down there by yourself and convinced him to help us?”

“You were so stressed about Ron,” Ben said with a shrug. “I wanted to help out. Take a little bit of the load off of your shoulders."

She was out of her seat before she could think twice about it, grabbing Ben’s tie and yanking him down to kiss him. She backed him up against the wall, her arms caging him in as she kissed him hard and fast. “You have no idea how much I want to jump your bones right now,” she said when she finally stopped for breath.

“I wouldn’t say no to that.” Ben sounded just as desperate as she felt.

She shouldn’t, she really shouldn’t. They hadn’t picked safewords, and they really needed to talk about this first. But his body was hard and lean against her, his knees already starting to buckle as she pressed kisses to his jaw. She’d love to sink her teeth in, just a little, to leave deep red marks on his gorgeous neck so that everyone could see who he belonged to. But they were standing in the middle of her office, and that wasn’t how she wanted their first time to go.

No, she was going to do this right, and that meant she had to put a stop to it.

“You have no idea how much I want to push you to your knees right now,” Leslie said, her voice low. Ben let out a strangled moan, his head falling back against the wall. “But not yet. We’re going to stop, and then we’ll each take our own cars back to my house. We’ll sit down and talk through our contract, and then I’ll finally have you. How does that sound?”

“Yeah,” Ben agreed, swallowing when his voice came out a little rough. She watched his Adam’s apple bob, thinking about how much she’d love to run her teeth down it. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Good,” she said, leaning in to give him one last, quick kiss. “I’ll see you at home.”

* * *

Ben’s heart was pounding as he walked to her porch. He’d thought about this day practically every time he’d jerked off for the last few months. He had a feeling the reality would be even better than his fantasies.

“I made us tea,” Leslie said as she opened the door, gesturing to the mugs she’d put on her coffee table. “I would’ve done wine, but I think we should both be sober for this.”

“Tea sounds great,” Ben said, following her to the couch. He went to sit in his normal position, curled up against her side, but Leslie shook her head.

“Opposite sides of the couch, please. We don’t want to get distracted, do we?”

“No, we wouldn’t want that,” Ben agreed, grinning as he moved away from her. Leslie reached for a stack of binders she’d left on the coffee table. She placed the first copy in her lap and handed the second to Ben.

“So,” she said, opening the binder. “If you’ll turn to section one-dash-one, you’ll see that I’ve written up an agenda for this conversation. I think I’ve covered everything, but let me know if there’s anything you’d like to talk about that I didn’t list.”

Ben wondered if most people’s contract negotiations were this organized. He was pretty sure his parents’ had been scribbled on a napkin in ballpoint pen; it had been a point of contention during their divorce. He really didn’t want to be thinking about his parents right now, so he flipped to section 1.1.

“This is thorough,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Do you think we can get through all of this in one night?”

“The sections one through five are the most important parts,” she told him, flipping to a different page in her binder. “I think as long as we do that, we can fill out a preliminary contract and stop for the night. The rest we can do as we go along. I want it to be a living document. I summarize that in part four, if you want to look over that.”

Despite the fact that she was sitting cross-legged on the couch, sipping tea from a chipped mug and wearing fuzzy pink socks, Leslie sounded like she could have been at a business meeting. Her demeanor was strictly professional, and Ben sat up a little straighter, matching her vibe.

“We’ve talked about some of this before,” Ben said, picking up the pen she’d clipped to the outside of his binder. “Sections 3.2 through 3.9, in particular. We had a long discussion two weeks ago when I was in the middle of your booklist.”

“That’s a good point,” Leslie nodded. “I think we can just skim through those sections since we seemed to be on the same page before.”

They narrowed down the agenda a little further, and then they got down to work. It was strange to be talking about such sensitive topics so openly, but Ben figured all of the books he’d read on communication and informed consent had been preparation.

“So, section 2.1, birth control. This should be a quick one,” Leslie said as they flipped to the right page. “I have a hormonal IUD, which is over 99% effective. We’ve both been tested and are clean, so I don’t see any reason to use an additional method of contraceptives. However, if you’d like to be extra careful, we could use an additional barrier method. What are your thoughts?”

“I’ve never had sex without a condom before,” Ben said, looking over at her. “I kind of like the idea of trying it.”

“Perfect,” Leslie said, scribbling something in her binder. “Now, on to section—”

“Wait,” Ben interrupted her, and she looked up at him. “It says here that your IUD is effective for five years. When did you get it?”

“This is my second one,” Leslie said. “It was inserted about eighteen months ago. Why do you ask?”

“We’ve never talked about kids,” Ben said, tapping his finger against the side of his binder. “Do you want kids? Ever, I mean, not necessarily any time soon.”

“Oh,” Leslie said, smiling at him from across the couch. “Yes, eventually. At least two, so they’d each have a friend.”

“Yeah?” Ben asked, grinning over at her. He could imagine her as a mother, how warm and loving she’d be, how’d she instill her confidence into each of their children. “Me too.”

“I’ll write that down,” Leslie said, her eyes sparkling.

They continued through her agenda, working out their safewords—Ben liked the traffic light system, and Leslie had ideas for nonverbal safewords should his mouth be otherwise occupied—and discussing their sexual histories. By the time they made it to the second to last section, Ben’s mug was empty.

“Alright, I’m going to make more tea,” Leslie said, stretching as she got off the couch. “How about you go through the kink list and fill out your yes/no/maybes? When you’re done we’ll talk through them.”

Ben was a little glad that Leslie had stepped away while he went over the list, because it was _thorough_. It ranged from the innocuous ( _a partner touching me affectionately without asking first_ , to which they had both checked yes) to the clinical (apparently Leslie preferred the word _cunt_ to _pussy_ , but she was fine with a variety of words being used to describe her breasts) to the very, very dirty. There were a few kinks that Ben hadn’t even heard of, and he had to surreptitiously flip to the glossary Leslie had attached at the back of his binder.

By the time Leslie came back with tea, his face was bright red.

“How’s it going?” Leslie asked, setting their mugs on the coffee table. “Any questions?”

“I’m almost done,” Ben said, checking maybe next to _whips_ and yes next to _wooden paddles_. “Did you compile this list yourself? It’s extensive.”

“It’s always better to be overprepared,” Leslie said with a shrug, sipping her tea. “I used the best parts from four or five different lists I found. I wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything out.”

“I definitely don’t think we left anything out,” Ben said with a laugh.

“Good,” Leslie said, moving a little closer to him. She moved his binder so that they both could see it, running her eyes down the completed list. “Oh great, you’re into roleplay too,” she grinned as she got to that subcategory. “That’s a favorite of mine. And this is promising,” she added, tapping her finger against another section. “We’re really compatible. There’s so much overlap here.”

“That’s why we’re soulmates,” Ben pointed out with a grin. He was still a little embarrassed, but Leslie’s casual attitude was helping him calm down.

“Question,” Leslie asked as she flipped to the second page, “how much experience do you have with some of these things? I know we talked about our previous experiences, but we didn’t go into too much detail.”

“A lot of the things I checked maybe on are things I haven’t tried,” Ben said, glancing down at the list, “which is why I’m not sure if I’ll like them. Do you have questions about specific kinks?”

“This one, for example,” Leslie said, tapping her finger over _receiving anal_. “Pegging can be a lot of fun. Have you tried that? It’s something we’d want to work up to, if you haven’t.”

There really wasn’t a way to answer that question without coming out to her. He didn’t expect her to have a bad reaction, exactly, but it still wasn’t something he talked about that often. His nerves were back full force, but he pressed on. “I haven’t tried pegging, but I’ve... Um, with a man.”

“Oh,” Leslie blinked, looking up at him. “And you liked it?”

“Yeah, uh,” Ben tried to look more confident than he felt. “I’m bisexual. I think.”

Leslie reached out, squeezing his thigh softly. “Thank you for telling me,” she said with a soft smile.

“It’s not a big deal,” Ben shrugged. “I would’ve mentioned it before, but it always feels a little awkward.”

“I should have guessed when you were so vague with pronouns when we were talking about previous partners,” Leslie said with a little laugh. “Still, I’m glad you’re trusting me with it now. It doesn’t change anything; you know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Ben said, smiling back at her.

“Alright, let’s talk rules,” Leslie said when she finished going through his list. “I’ve written down some preliminary rules, and some general things that you can expect of me as well. Feel free to add anything you’d like, and we’ll talk it over.”

“That sounds good,” Ben agreed, reading through her list. It seemed pretty standard, basic chivalry as well as things like not coming without permission and walking behind her when they were in public. She’d outlined what she expected from him, both when they were alone and in public. There was also a list of expectations he could hold Leslie to, describing just how she was going to take care of him and provide for him. The whole thing had him feeling warm, eager to finally slip into their dynamic.

“Is this one a joke?” he asked, laughing as he got to the last bullet point. “You don’t really want me to take off my pants whenever we’re alone together, do you?”

“I’m offended that you would ask that,” Leslie said. “That is a very serious rule. Have you seen your butt? Because I have, if only through your pants, and I don’t think you should be allowed to hide it away.”

“Are you serious?” he asked, laughing a little self-consciously.

“Dead serious. Is that a problem?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ben shook his head. “I think I’ll look ridiculous in just a button-up and boxers, but if that’s what you want, that’s what you want.”

“Oh,” Leslie gasped, reaching for a pen and scribbling something in her binder. “We should’ve talked about that, because I’m definitely going to buy you some boxer-briefs. I want something snug, something that’ll show off what you’ve got. No more boxers.”

“No more boxers,” Ben agreed. He didn’t care too much about what underwear he wore, but he really loved the idea of wearing underwear that Leslie had picked out.

“There’s another rule I want to add,” Leslie said after a moment, adding it to the bottom of the list in pen. “I was thinking about yesterday at the party, at how worked up you got around all of the officers. You get a little stuck in your head sometimes, don’t you?”

“I guess I have a little bit of anxiety,” Ben said, purposefully underplaying it. “I don’t think it’s—it’s not a problem, really.”

“When you get like that, when you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious or stressed out, I want you to come to me. You tell me, and then we’ll face whatever is freaking you out together. Understood?” Her voice was soft, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

He had never been good at talking about how he felt; his family leaned more towards passive aggression than towards healthy conflict resolution. He was used to hiding himself away when his thoughts spun out of control, to dealing with his anxiety on his own until he felt calm enough to go back out into the world. It wouldn’t be an easy rule to follow, but Ben knew that Leslie had a point.

“Understood.”

They moved onto punishments, with Leslie clearly outlining what would happen if he broke a rule, and then they were finally at the end of the binder.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Leslie said, capping her pen and setting it aside.

“Does that mean I should go back to my motel, or..?”

Leslie grabbed the binder from his lap, tossing it onto the couch. “It definitely does not,” she said, reaching for his arm and pulling him to his feet. “It means,” she said, pausing to pull him down for a hard kiss, “that I can finally jump your bones without feeling like I’m taking advantage of you.”

Ben pressed himself up against her, the arousal that had been simmering all night coming to a head. Leslie’s kisses consumed him, his head already starting to spin. She slid her hands down his chest, slipping out the buttons as she went.

“Gorgeous,” she murmured, her mouth moving to his shoulder once she’d slipped his shirt away. Her teeth grazed against the thin skin of his neck, slowly starting on a bruise. Her hands moved to his buckle, pushing his pants down his hips. She started pulling him backwards towards the stairs, her mouth not letting up on him the entire time. Somehow they managed to make it upstairs without tripping on anything.

“Look at you,” Leslie said, running her eyes down his body. Ben knew he already looked wrecked, his chest flushed with arousal and his cock tenting his boxers. “I bet you'd look even prettier on your knees. Kneel for me.”

Ben dropped to his knees before the words finished coming out of her mouth. Leslie reached down, cupping his face with her hand. “That is a pretty sight,” she murmured, her thumb brushing over his cheek. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“Green,” Ben promised. His head was starting to quiet, slowly slipping into the familiar warmth of subspace. “I want to make you come.”

“I think we can manage that,” Leslie said, and then she was stepping away. Ben watched as she stripped, his gaze torn between the curve of her breasts and the delicious V between her legs. “Remember what we said,” she told him as she curled her fingers in his hair. “Tap my thigh if you need to safeword. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben nodded, swallowing as she moved closer.

“That’s my good boy,” Leslie murmured, and Ben felt himself shudder from just her words. She tugged him forward, pulling him exactly where she wanted him. The room around them drifted out of focus until all that remained was the taste of her underneath his tongue. Leslie lifted one of her legs to pull him closer, her leg curling around his back. The warmth of her thigh pressed against his cheek, and he felt surrounded by her.

“Just like that,” she breathed, tugging his hair to guide him. “A little more pressure, and—” Her voice broke off into a moan, and Ben was throbbing in his boxers. His hips bucked up against the air, desperate for friction.

“You’re so eager,” Leslie laughed, breathless as she rocked against his tongue. “You’re nearly there just from the taste of me, aren’t you?”

Ben could only moan in response. He ate her out for what felt like hours, too deep into subspace to have any concept of time. The only thing he felt was the burning bright need to be _good_. He learned Leslie’s body quickly, following every gasped command as she talked him through exactly what she wanted. She fell against him as she came, breathing hard, and he had to grip her thighs so that they wouldn’t fall over.

Then she was pulling him to his feet, dragging their mouths together so that she could taste herself on his tongue. She let him to the bed, pushing him down onto his back. “Hands over your head,” she told him as she straddled his lap. “Do I need to tie you, or can you be good?”

“I can be good,” Ben promised in a rough voice. He stretched his arms out, gripping onto the bars of her headboard.

“You’re not allowed to come without permission,” she reminded him. “Tell me if you’re close.”

“I will,” Ben said, and then she was leaning down over him. Her mouth went back to his neck, nipping the sensitive spot right behind his ears.

“I love the sounds you make,” she said, and Ben hadn’t even realized that he was making sounds. Her hands slid down his chest, dragging the blunt point of her nails against his skin. One ran over his nipple, and Ben gasped, his hips thrusting up against the air. Leslie grinned against his neck, and then she was pinching his nipple between her fingers.

“Please,” Ben gasped out, clenching his eyes shut. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was begging for, but he needed more.

“Stay still,” Leslie told him when he rocked his hips again. She pressed her hand against his hip, pinning him down against the mattress. It would’ve been easy to break her hold; Ben wasn’t very strong, but he was easily stronger than her. The only thing holding him there was the sharp edge of her dom voice and Ben’s all-consuming need to be good for her.

Everything was hazy as she worked on him, pressing kisses and bites down his chest, leaving marks as she went. It felt like hours before she was anywhere near his cock, her breath ghosting over it. She was kissing his hip, his thighs, everywhere but where he needed it most.

“Leslie, I need—” Ben tried to get out, but forming words was difficult when he could feel the point of her nipple pressed against his thigh as she sucked a hickey right under his belly button. “Please,” he gasped.

“What do you need?” Leslie asked, and when he forced his eyes open he saw that she was grinning up at him wickedly. “Tell me. Tell me exactly what you want.”

“I want—” It was hard to put everything he wanted into words, especially when she’d dragged him so deep into subspace. He swallowed, slowly finding his voice. “I want you to touch me.”

“I am touching you,” Leslie laughed, but then she was finally, finally wrapping her hand around his cock. Her thumb brushed through the precome on the tip, smearing it around before she gave him a slow stroke. “Was that what you wanted?”

“Yes, god, Leslie, yes,” Ben moaned, the words pouring out. “Please, don’t stop, don’t—”

Then her head was ducking down, and she slid her tongue around the head of his cock. Ben’s knuckles were white against the bars of her headboard, gripping them hard as he tried to hold back. She licked over him for a few more moments, and then she was climbing back over him, her hips straddling his on the bed. Ben felt the heat of her cunt as she moved, her wet folds sliding against his dick. He held his breath, waiting for her to finally sink down on his cock.

“You feel so good,” Leslie said, grinding over his cock but not taking him in. He could feel the bump of her clit against the head of his cock as she moved, searching out her own pleasure. “Can you feel how wet I am, Ben? How wet you’re making me?”

“Fuck,” Ben gasped, getting closer and closer to his edge. “I’m already close—”

“Not yet,” Leslie said, giving his side a sharp pinch. Ben bit his lip, breathing hard through his nose as he tried to calm himself down. Leslie pulled away from him for a moment, leaning over so she could whisper right into his ear. “I’m not going to let you come until you’re inside me.”

She gave him a few moments, and then she was moving back down. She went back to sliding over his cock, letting the head bump against her entrance with each stroke. Each time it felt like it might finally be happening, like she might finally reach down and take him inside of her. She kept going, again and again and again until Ben was begging. He wasn’t sure what he was saying, couldn’t think hard enough to form sentences, but whatever he said must have worked.

“Oh,” Leslie said in a soft voice, her eyes drifting shut for a moment as she slowly sank down on his cock. She gave herself a moment to adjust, and then she was moving. Ben’s arms were aching from holding them over his head. His nipples were stinging from all of the attention she’d given them. All of that only added to the sensation of her, wet and hot around his cock. She clearly knew what she wanted and went after it, changing the angle so that she was letting out little sounds with every thrust. One hand gripped at his hip, using him to keep her balance, and the other came down to rub tight circles on her clit.

“Can I—” Ben gasped, his hips thrusting up just a little in request.

“Yes, yeah, oh god,” Leslie moaned, and then Ben was rocking up into her, meeting her thrust for thrust. She dropped her hand to the bed, leaning forward so that she could kiss Ben. She kissed him desperately, the first departure from her dominant, in-control image since they’d started. Ben loved it, loved knowing that he’d done that to Leslie, that she wanted him so badly that she’d gotten a little sloppy.

Suddenly he was on the edge, jerking his head away so that he could gasp out, “I’m so close, Leslie, please, can I—”

Leslie’s fingers moved faster on her clit, until Ben could feel her clenching down around him.

“Go on, come for me,” she breathed.

Ben was nothing if not obedient. His head fell back, groaning embarrassingly loud as he finally came. He pressed up into her and she took him, squeezing around him again and again.

His head was floating, still breathing hard as she climbed off of him. She reached for his arms, bringing them down slowly and massaging them.

“You were so good,” she murmured, pressing kisses to his neck. “Such a good boy for me, sweetheart.”

Time passed, and Ben was boneless as she got a washcloth and cleaned them both off. She curled around him, cuddling his back against his chest, her hand stroking from his knee to his hip. He slowly came back to himself, feeling warm and drowsy but a little less foggy.

“Good lord,” he breathed, and then laughed at how much of an understatement that was.

“How do you feel?” Leslie asked, and he felt her lips press a soft kiss to his shoulder.

“Never been better,” Ben said, turning his head slightly so that he could look at her. His chest was burning bright with affection and warmth, and he knew it was too soon to say it, but he thought he might be falling in love with her.

Leslie’s grin was wide, clearly proud of herself. “Good,” she said, giving him a gentle kiss. “Don’t forget, you’re making me breakfast in the morning.”


	7. Chapter 7

Leslie often woke up before dawn. She would spend the quiet hours before work curled up in a blanket with a mug of coffee and binder, working from home until it was socially acceptable to head into the office. In the week since she and Ben had finally made a contract, however, her routine had started to change.

She still woke before Ben, of course, since he seemed to need eight whole hours of sleep every night. She’d quietly slip out of bed to start the coffee, leaving Ben’s in the pot to stay warm. She would bring a binder back to bed, planning to get some work done while Ben slept curled up next to her. It always started out well, but then Ben’s blanket would slip and she’d see a purpling bruise she’d left on his shoulder the night before, or he’d make a soft sound in his sleep, and she was done for. Her binder would end up tossed to the side, and she’d find herself curling around Ben, pressing kisses to his neck as he slowly started to wake up.

This morning she didn’t make it through more than a page or two of planning for their media blitz before Ben pulled her focus away. He rolled over onto his side, tugging the blanket closer in his sleep. Leslie carefully set her coffee on the nightstand—which had room for her coffee now that Ben was staying over and kept tidying up for her—and curled around him. She loved spooning like this, loved the comforting feeling of his warm body pressed up against her chest. Despite their height difference, cuddling with him in her arms made Leslie feel big and powerful. In the still quiet of the morning, she felt like she could protect Ben from the outside world. She could keep holding him forever, and he’d stay calm and peaceful in her arms. It was a heady feeling.

“Mm, morning?” Ben murmured, still mostly asleep. He pressed back against her, cuddling even closer, and she tightened her arms around his waist.

“We still have an hour before the alarm goes off,” Leslie told him, pressing a soft kiss right underneath his ear. He smelled so good, with a hint of her own shampoo since he’d been showering at her place more often than the motel. “You can go back to sleep.”

“Hard to sleep when you keep doing that.”

“Are you asking me to stop?” Leslie murmured, her breath hot against his neck. She let one hand drag up his chest, her thumb playing over his nipple. She’d discovered quickly just how sensitive they were; she’d ordered some nipple clamps the day after their first time, and she couldn’t wait to break those out.

“I’m definitely not asking you to stop,” Ben gasped, and his hips began to rock. Leslie tucked her head on his shoulder, glancing down with a grin.

She kept one hand on his nipple, pinching and rolling it between her fingers, drawing out her favorite kind of noises from Ben. He was always so responsive, but something about the early morning hours made him more willing to be vulnerable even without the hazy protection of subspace.

“You’re so good for me,” she murmured in his ear, and that was enough to extract another broken moan. Ben loved praise almost as much as he loved a hand on his cock; Leslie was generous enough to give him both. She brought her hand up to his mouth, pressing her fingertips against his lips in request. Ben opened for her obediently, dragging his tongue along the digits, closing his mouth and sucking them into the wet heat of his mouth, and _fuck_. Leslie let her eyes slip closed for a moment, sliding her thighs together in acknowledgment of her own arousal. It could wait; right now, her priority was turning her sub into a gasping, aching wreck. He was already halfway there.

Once her fingers were wet enough she pulled them out of Ben’s mouth and wrapped them around his cock. He was leaking already; she probably could’ve gotten away without using his mouth, but Ben had a little bit of an oral fixation and she loved to indulge him in it. She stroked him slowly, sliding her thumb through the precome beading on the tip.

“You’re so pretty like this,” she whispered. Ben shuddered in her arms, letting out a low moan. He was already so close, dripping onto her hand.

“Please, please,” he gasped, pressing back against her. “Can I—fuck, Leslie—can I come?”

“Hmm,” she said, grinning against his neck. She sank her teeth into the delicate skin of his neck, working over a bruise she’d left the night before. “Do you deserve to come? Have you been a good boy for me?”

“Yes, yes, please—” He was begging now, his breath coming out in big, desperate gasps. “I need, oh god—”

“Alright,” she said, hiding her smug smile against his back. “You can come for me.”

* * *

“So we’ve got the radio interview first, right?” Ben asked her later when she was leaning against her kitchen counter, watching him make breakfast. “The one with the ridiculous name?”

“Crazy Ira and the Douche is not a ridiculous name,” Leslie protested. “It’s the most popular radio show in Pawnee, so it’s the best—”

“—way to raise awareness for the festival, yes, I know,” Ben said, grinning over at her. “Do you want to practice your spiel again?”

She had gone over her talking points four times the night before, and once more that morning in the shower after she’d recovered from both of the orgasms he’d given her. She didn’t need the practice and he knew that, which made the fact that he’d offered all the more sweet. Ben already knew her so well.

“No, I think you’re right,” she decided, sipping the coffee he’d made her. Two parts creamer, one part coffee, four parts whipped cream. Ben really was the perfect sub. “I’ve done all of the prep I can.”

Despite that, they still ran over her talking points once more in the car on the way over. The interview started off well, with Crazy Ira and the Douche’s typical, slightly off-putting humor. And then, in a matter of minutes, everything started to fall apart. Leslie had seen Ben like this before, her mind flashing back to how flustered he’d been in front of the Chief. But this was worse, because it was personal, and it was happening with the entire town listening.

She pulled him aside once the interview was finally over, waving off Tom so that she could have a moment alone with Ben.

“What was that?” she asked, torn between her concern for her sub and her soul-crushing fear that he might have just doomed the festival to failure before it had even started.

“I—I’m sorry, I just—” Ben stammered, and the miserable look on his face was enough to make Leslie forget about the festival for a moment.

“Hey,” she said in a soft voice, wrapping her palm on the back of Ben’s neck. She stroked the fine hairs she found there, leaning forward to give him a soft kiss. “Can you take a deep breath for me?”

Ben shut his eyes, nodding tightly and then slowly taking a breath. “I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice a little shaky. “I got, um, a little in my head. Like you, uh, like you told me to tell you about.”

“Good boy,” she said, rewarding him with another soft kiss. “How can I help?”

“I’m… I didn’t mean to ruin the interview,” he said with a groan. “I pulled focus, and now no one’s going to—”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Leslie promised, even if she wasn’t entirely sure that it was true. “And you can still fix it.”

“Yes,” Ben nodded eagerly, opening his eyes again. “I want to fix it. What do I do?”

“Why don’t you go with Tom on Perd?” Leslie suggested. She wasn’t entirely sure that she trusted him after everything that had just happened, but she wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself. “Tom’s great on camera, so you just need to sit there and look pretty, and answer any budget questions that come up. I know you can do that.”

“What if he asks about Ice Town?” Ben asked, chewing on his lip. Leslie reached out, brushing her thumb over his lip to make him stop.

“Then you just stay calm and try to redirect the conversation to the festival,” Leslie told him. “You can do this, Ben.”

“I can do this,” Ben repeated with a hesitant nod.

“Good boy,” she murmured, giving him one last kiss. “Call me if you need me, okay? I’ll see you back at City Hall.”

She left him in Tom’s capable hands, hoping the glare she shot at him would prevent any teasing. As soon as she got back to her office she started on damage control, trying to push thoughts of what might be happening with Perd out of her head.

Leslie hadn’t always had the best interactions with Shauna—Mark Brendanawicz came to mind, and Leslie was a little surprised to realize how long it had been since she had even thought about him—but for the most part, Leslie trusted Shauna to do a good job.

“So tell me about Ben Wyatt,” Shauna asked, and it was clear she wouldn’t be pulling any punches.

Leslie knew this question was coming, but she still had to give herself a moment to school her expression. She knew what Shauna was really asking—what had happened with Ice Town? Could Ben be trusted? Was his involvement in the Harvest Festival going to bring the project down before it started? But even as Leslie answered those questions, she couldn’t keep the softness out of her voice when she said Ben’s name. Ben was so much more than just an auditor sent from the state. She couldn’t separate the Ben who came apart in her bed each night from the Ben who worked just down the hall, and try as she might to hide it, Shauna was picking up on that.

“Um, what exactly is the nature of your relationship with him?”

Mentioning their working relationship wasn’t a lie, and neither was the fact that they were friends. But as much as Leslie wasn’t ashamed to admit that Ben was her sub, she still couldn’t manage to get the words out. Everyone at the office knew the truth, all of her friends and even her mother. Ben had told his family, and while they weren’t quite Facebook official that was more to do with the recentness of consummating their relationship than anything else. But still, she couldn’t tell Shauna. Shauna would ask questions, and there were still too many questions that Leslie didn’t know how to answer. Sure, Ben was her submissive, and sure, they were soulmates. But what did that mean? Ben’s job in Pawnee would be ending soon, and despite all of their contract negotiation and healthy communication, they still hadn’t discussed what exactly that would mean.

What was Ben’s plan once his contract with Pawnee was over? He still lived at the Pawnee Super Suites, and while he’d been spending multiple nights a week at Leslie’s house, there hadn’t been any talk of him moving in. He also hadn’t said anything about trying to find a more permanent living situation.

Leslie knew that was a conversation that she needed to start. She needed to sit down with him and confront the situation head-on. But every time she thought about doing it, she came up with twenty reasons not to. Things with Ben were so new and fragile, and she’d rather enjoy their time together than slog through a hard conversation. And it would certainly be a hard conversation; how was she supposed to choose between her soulmate and the career she’d poured her entire life into? She loved Pawnee. She loved her job at the Parks Department more than she’d ever loved anything else. How could she ever give that up? How could she call herself a feminist and then throw away her career goals to follow a man around?

She couldn’t really let herself imagine that Ben would want to stay in Pawnee. She’d been through dozens, maybe hundreds of breakups and failed dates. She’d been told time and time again that she wasn’t enough or that she was too much. She’d thrown herself into relationship after relationship and they never worked out, and just because Ben was her soulmate didn’t mean it would be any different. The only thing that would be different would be that she might not ever get over their breakup. She could already tell that.

She stumbled through her reply to Shauna, trying her best to avoid sharing anything too personal. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was aware that Ben might read Shauna’s interview. Would he be upset that she hadn’t told the full truth? Would he worry that she’d kept the focus on their professional relationship instead of acknowledging their soulbond? Leslie wasn’t sure, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say more.

* * *

Ben tried to put on a brave face for Leslie, but he wasn’t feeling very prepared when he left with Tom for the next interview. Tom started giving him hell as soon as Leslie left, but strangely, that helped. It was easier to focus on Tom’s mocking than it was to let himself think about the fact that he was about to have to go on television and talk about the biggest mistake of his life.

Tom dragged him to the mall for a new suit and didn’t listen to Ben’s protests about getting to the studio early. They headed to Brooks Brothers, and after a little persuading, Tom agreed that Ben didn’t need to shop in the boys’ section.

“I really don’t think this is necessary,” Ben sighed as Tom held two different ties up to his chest.

“After the interview you just had? You need all the help you can get,” Tom told him, reaching for a different jacket. “Besides, I bet Leslie will like the suit.”

“Leslie doesn’t mind my clothes,” Ben frowned. She hadn’t had any complaints so far.

“You sure about that?” Tom asked with a disbelieving glance.

“Most of the time we’re together, she’s not looking at my clothes,” Ben said. He didn’t usually talk about his sex life, and it certainly wasn’t a professional implication to make in front of one of Leslie’s employees, but he didn’t like how Tom was looking at him.

“That’s because they’re garbage,” Tom shot back, and Ben could only roll his eyes.

Ben ended up spending more than he wanted to—because he hadn’t wanted to spend any money on a suit today—but he had to admit that he liked what Tom had picked out. He found himself hoping that Leslie would like it, which led to him thinking about her watching his interview. He wanted to redeem himself. He wanted to make her proud. She believed that he could handle this, and he wanted to prove her right.

He didn’t prove her right.

He’d never done well on TV; even when he’d been campaigning back when he was eighteen, he’d stumbled during interviews. Never as badly as he had today, but he’d never felt very comfortable in front of a camera. It made him think about people looking at him, which made him think about people judging him, which made him start to spiral in his head until he couldn’t get a full sentence out.

He tried to keep his head together, but it hadn’t taken very long for him to ruin the interview with Perd. Instead of stammering and not being able to say anything, he ended up word-vomiting so much that Tom and Perd could barely get a word in. By the time it was over, he couldn’t even remember all that he’d said. It came to him in flashes on the drive back. Something about his high school girlfriend, something about the time he’d wet his pants in fourth grade, and had he taken his shirt off at some point? His stomach twisted with the realization that he had.

“I can’t even make fun of that,” Tom said after a long silence. “There’s nothing I can say that’s worse than anything you just did.”

When they get back to the office, though, Tom doesn’t seem to have a problem making fun of him. He’d stolen a copy of the tape from Perd, apparently, and he played it in front of the entire Parks Department. Ben tried to protest, but Tom argued that they needed to know what they were up against, and he couldn’t disagree with that.

He kept his gaze down on the table, curling in on himself as the tape played. Hearing the others poke fun at him wasn’t the problem, but the silence coming from Leslie’s direction was. He knew that he’d let her down, and the guilt pressed down on him until he felt like he might be sick.

“What was that?” Leslie demanded when the rest of the room had cleared out. He glanced up at her, hating how annoyed she looked. “Do you realize—”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out, wincing when he realized that he’d interrupted her. “I… I didn’t mean to, I thought—”

Suddenly her expression shifted, and she took a step forward. “Take a deep breath,” she told him, and it wasn’t until she brushed her thumb over his cheek that he realized his eyes had started to tear up. “You’re okay.”

“I thought I could handle it,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry I screwed it up.”

“You didn’t screw it up,” Leslie frowned, and then she shook her head. “Well, you sort of did, but I can fix it. We’ll just move to plan B and keep you away from cameras while I smooth this over. It’ll be fine.”

Ben nodded, but her words didn’t make him feel much better. He listened as she scheduled an apology dinner with Perd, thinking about how miserable he’d feel when he was sitting in his motel room alone, knowing his dom was cleaning up the mess he’d made.

“We’ll talk more about this at home,” Leslie told him, and despite how awful he felt, Ben couldn’t deny that there was something nice about Leslie saying _home_ like it was his home too. “But please don’t keep beating yourself up over this. We all have our strengths, and now we know that yours isn’t being in front of a camera.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze and then sent him back to his office so she could get some notes together.

He tried to stay in his office, not wanting to be anywhere near the interview with Pawnee Today. But Leslie came by before she left, and she made him come with her.

“I want you to see that it’s all going to be okay,” she told him, “that way you won’t worry about it. Besides, I’ll feel more confident with you there.”

“You’d feel more confident if I hadn’t ruined things to begin with,” Ben grumbled as they walked to the car.

“Stop it,” Leslie snapped, her dom voice coming out harshly. “I don’t want to hear you talking about yourself that way.”

“Not even if it’s true?”

“It’s not true, and if you keep arguing with me, you’re going to earn yourself a punishment,” she warned, and that shut Ben up. He stared out the window as she drove, irritation growing in his chest. Being annoyed with her was easier than focusing on how embarrassed and guilty he felt, so he clung to that.

When they got to the studio, Ben made a point of standing as far away as he could stand and still watch Leslie. Despite Tom’s schmoozing, Joan didn’t go easy on Leslie, and Ben started to worry that Leslie wasn’t going to be able to salvage this. Leslie could do anything—he’d seen that first hand—but maybe he’d destroyed things so thoroughly that she wouldn’t be able to bring them back around.

“How many cities does Ben Wyatt need to destroy before he’s put behind bars?” Joan asked, and it felt like a knife in his stomach. He knew that most of what she was insinuating wasn’t true; Ben was good at his job, and he’d helped all of the cities he’d audited. But there was a shred of truth to it because he really had blown it in Partridge. It had taken a long time for them to recover from Ice Town; there was a reason his car still got egged every time he went home, nearly two decades after the fact. He felt himself shrinking in on himself, wishing that he could leave, but then—

“Ben Wyatt has done nothing wrong,” Leslie said, and Ben willed himself to believe it. It might have helped settle the churning in the stomach if Leslie had stopped there. But then she kept talking.

“Just get it over with. Ben, let’s get up here,” Leslie was saying, and Ben could hear the words that came out of her mouth but he couldn’t understand them. She’d told him he wouldn’t need to go on camera again, she’d promised that she could fix this. He shook his head, taking a step back, but Leslie had that stubborn expression on her face that meant she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Ben, come here,” she told him, and his feet were moving before he can consciously decide to obey. She’d never used her dom voice on him in public before. They’d both agreed that she could, if she felt like it was the right thing to do, but Ben hadn’t been expecting the first time to be for something like this.

He felt numb as he stepped forward, his palms sweating, his heart pounding in his chest. He sat down next to her, his mind a constant loop of _don’t throw up don’t throw up don’t throw up_.

He stumbled over the first few callers. Leslie helped him out, trying to lead the conversation, trying to fill in the holes he left with his non-answers. She was doing the best she could, but Ben knew that it wasn’t enough. He was the one that had caused this, and he couldn’t let her keep saving the day. He wanted to make his dom proud, but more than that, he wanted to prove to himself that he wasn’t still the dumb eighteen-year-old that had bankrupted an entire town. He was a responsible adult, and he’d built a life that made him proud. He’d done good things for the cities he’d audited, and he thought he could do good things for Pawnee too. He just needed to get the words out so that everyone else would believe it. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded himself that he wasn’t alone. Leslie was right there with him. Leslie wasn’t going to let him fall.

As if she could read his mind, when the next caller phoned in, she reached over to give his wrist a squeeze, right over his cuff. There was nothing unprofessional about the gesture, nothing that implied anything more than a coworker giving another coworker reassurance, but it was somehow enough to quiet the panic loop in his head.

“Okay, first of all, why does everyone in this town use AltaVista?” Ben demanded, because that was the third time someone had mentioned it today. “Is it 1997? And second, I am a budget specialist. I went to those towns because they were bankrupt, and now, they aren’t. And yeah, I screwed up when I was eighteen, but who doesn’t do dumb stuff when they’re eighteen?”

The words poured out of him before he could stop to overthink them, and for a moment, he worried that his outburst might have seemed unprofessional. But then Joan told an embarrassing story from her youth, and another caller actually asked about the Harvest Festival, and when he looked over at Leslie, she was smiling at him.

They got through the rest of the interview, and as it went on, Ben felt himself growing more and more confident. He was actually smiling by the end of it, flushing a little when he met Leslie’s eyes. As soon as the cameras were off, her hand reached out for his wrist, gripping tightly and dragging him out of the room. He worried for a moment that he’d read the situation wrong; was he actually in trouble? But then she was throwing open the door to a supply closet and shoving him in.

“You were so good, baby,” she told him, pressing him up against the door. “I knew you could do it, Ben, I knew you would make me proud.”

Her fingers dug into his hips, and then she was kissing him, and Ben’s head spun with how quickly everything was happening. “Leslie,” he panted against her lips, and she pulled back just enough to look at him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and he wasn’t too far gone to see the hesitance in her eyes. “Did I go too far? I know I told you no more camera time, but I… I just, I knew you could do it. I wanted you to push through it so that you could see how capable you are.”

“I’m not upset,” Ben promised, shaking his head. “I’m… I’m glad you made me do it. I wanted to prove to myself that I could. You gave me the push I needed.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Leslie told him again, her eyes boring into his. “I’ve never been so proud of you, Ben.”

“Even though I caused this whole mess?” Ben asked. The adrenaline rush from being on camera was starting to fade, and his old insecurities were rearing their ugly heads again. “Even with Ice Town?”

“You’re so much more than a dumb mistake you made at eighteen,” Leslie told him. “You proved that today. Harvest Festival is going to be incredible, Ben, and that’s because of you. We built this together.”

Ben closed his eyes, tucking his face against her neck. It was a little awkward with the height difference, but he didn’t care. “Thank you, Leslie,” he whispered, hating how rough his voice sounded.

“Can I show you just how proud of you I am?” Leslie asked, and then her hand was slipping down to the fly of his new slacks.

“Oh,” he gasped. He could hear the murmur of voices in the studio behind them, and he doubted the closet they were in had a lock. That, along with Leslie’s repeated assurances of how proud she was of him, was enough to have him hardening at the first brush of her fingertips. “Yes, yes, Leslie, please.”

Leslie pulled back, and he could see the self-satisfied look on her face as she dropped to her knees. That had Ben groaning, because although they’d had sex daily since their first time, this was something she hadn’t done yet.

“Stay quiet,” she warned him as she undid his fly. “We don’t want anyone to hear you. Your noises are just for me.”

Ben nodded eagerly, swallowing back a sound as she wrapped her hand around him. She looked beautiful in the dim lighting coming from underneath the door; even on her knees, she’d never looked more powerful. She teased him for a long moment, stroking over his cock, letting her breath ghost against him without taking him into her mouth. Ben bit down on his lip, trying his hardest to keep his breathing steady and not buck up against her face.

“You’re so good,” she whispered. Her tongue peeked out, sliding through the precome with a satisfied sigh. “You taste so good,” she added, and Ben let his head fall back against the door. She lapped around the head of his cock, teasing brushes that weren’t quite enough, and then finally, _finally_ she was sucking him inside. Ben had had hundreds of blowjobs in his life, and he’d probably given a few dozen more, but nothing compared to the wet velvet heat of Leslie’s mouth. She kept her hand firm on his hip, her fingers digging in sharply as she forced him to keep still. His slacks kept her from taking him too deeply, but her mouth pressed against his fly on every stroke, and he felt the rhythmic pulse of her throat as she swallowed around him. She already knew him so well, already knew just where he was sensitive and how much pressure he needed.

It was more than that, though. It was the whirlwind of emotions that he’d gone through that day, from the early morning handjob to the simple domesticity of making her breakfast, from the terror and anxiety of his first two interviews to the heady sensation of making his dom proud. It was the fact that they were in public, and that they could get caught at any time. Anyone could walk down that hallway and hear the slick slide of her mouth around his cock, or the tiny hitch in his breathing as her tongue slid under the sensitive ridge of his head. Someone could pull open the door and see them, and they’d be seeing Leslie rewarding Ben. They’d be seeing a Leslie that was proud of him, a Leslie that was on her knees to make Ben feel good, to reward him for being such a good boy. Just the thought of that had him throbbing, and he was already nearly at the brink.

“I need, can I—” he breathed, unable to get the words out. Leslie looked up at him, giving his hip a gentle squeeze of permission, and then he was coming down her throat in hot, desperate pulses. She swallowed him down easily, sucking him through it and then gently sliding off of his cock.

“Feeling better?” she asked with a cocky grin. She got up, dusted herself off, and carefully tucked him back into his slacks.

“Good lord,” Ben gasped, trying to get his breathing down to some semblance of normal. “That was amazing.”

“You’re amazing,” Leslie said with a grin, and somehow, Ben found himself believing her.


	8. Chapter 8

“You’re going to go out tonight, right?” Leslie asked him, and Ben could tell from her voice that it was more of an order than a question. “I don’t like the idea of you sitting at home all alone.”

“I already said I’d go,” Ben responded. They’d had this conversation earlier this morning, and Ben could tell that she was just bringing it up now as an excuse to delay her departure. She was thrilled to be receiving the commendation, of course. The trip to Indianapolis was the only thing she’d talked about since she’d gotten the call, and Ben felt warm with pride every time she brought it up. Leslie had been working so hard, and he was glad to see that hard work recognized.

He was less glad about the fact that it meant they’d have to spend the night apart. It was the first time they’d slept in separate beds since they’d made their contract. He would go to the motel every few days to switch out his clothes, but he still ended up in Leslie’s bed every night.

“Call me tonight,” Leslie told him, and that was definitely an order. “I want to say goodnight to you.”

“I couldn’t fall asleep without it,” Ben replied. “But you need to get going if you and Ron want to get there in time to eat at his restaurant.”

“Be good,” Leslie said, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. Ben pushed forward, deepening the kiss a little more than he should while they were still at work. Leslie’s hand came up, curling on his hip. “I’ve got to go,” she said, pressing one last kiss to his cheek.

Ben stayed at his desk for a while after she left. He didn’t want to have to go back to his empty motel room before the bar, even if Tom had told him to change. He’d stay at the office until it was late enough to go to The Snakehole, and then hopefully he’d get tipsy enough to not feel so lonely when he had to sleep alone.

He’d thought about offering to go with her when Leslie had first mentioned the commendation. He would have loved to be there to listen to her accept the award, to silently support his dom as she received the recognition she deserved. He wouldn’t have had to sleep alone, and that thought alone was almost enough to make him ask Leslie if he could come with her.

There was just one issue. One very big issue that Ben had been doing his best to ignore for weeks.

He’d gotten an email from his apartment complex a while back reminding him that his lease would be expiring soon. He needed to either renew it or move out. If Ben went to Indianapolis with Leslie, they’d have to stay at his apartment. And then he would have to confront the fact that his time in Pawnee was ending, and they would have to have a conversation about what that meant. So he didn’t offer to go with her, and Leslie didn’t ask. Ben told himself that it was only because he didn’t want to pull focus from Leslie’s achievement, but he knew it was more than that.

He couldn’t ignore it forever. It weighed on him heavily, and every day he woke up with the reminder that he was one day closer to the end of his time in Pawnee. He’d finally heard back from the accounting firm, and they’d asked him for an interview. He’d had to push it forward a few weeks since his schedule was so hectic with the Harvest Festival. The position paid well, and from the brief phone screen it had seemed like an interesting job.

He decided not to tell Leslie about it until they made an offer. There was no reason to get her hopes up if he wasn’t offered the job. He thought Leslie would probably be excited for him, and he was sure she’d be more than willing to help him practice for his interview. There was a part of him, though, that worried that she’d tell him that he shouldn’t take the job. She might remind him how hard he’d worked to rebuild a career in government. She knew how much he wanted to run for office again, and she would know that taking a job in the private sector could set him back. His job for the State allowed him to prove himself in a way that the accounting firm wouldn’t. So Leslie might tell him not to take the job, and Ben would know that she had a point. She might tell him to go with Chris to Snerling.

Ben didn’t know if he could. After months of having Leslie in his life, Ben wasn’t sure that he could handle the distance. He was feeling morose about spending just one night apart from Leslie. How was he supposed to get used to sleeping alone now that he knew what it felt like to fall asleep next to Leslie? How was he supposed to settle for phone calls and rushed weekend visits when he’d already seen how wonderful spending every day with Leslie was?

But Leslie might not want him to stay. That fear had been growing ever since he’d read her interview in The Pawnee Journal. It was a good interview—especially compared to the ones Ben had mangled—and Leslie had said nothing but positive things about him. And yet.

And yet, when asked about the nature of their relationship, Leslie had only talked about work.

Ben couldn’t help but dwell on that, letting it feed into his biggest insecurities. Was she ashamed of him? Did she want to distance herself from him in wake of the Ice Town disaster? Ben still hadn’t met her mother, which Leslie said was for his own good. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it than that.

Ben was in a horrible mood by the time he headed to The Snakehole. He was tempted to just go back to his motel and give up on going out, but he knew Leslie wouldn’t be happy about it. She’d made him promise to go, but she hadn’t said anything about how long he had to stay there. Maybe he’d just show up, grab a beer, and leave as soon as he finished it.

But when he got to the bar, he was quickly pulled into a conversation with Tom. Tom’s new perfume was horrific—like seriously, gag-inducingly bad—but Ben couldn’t fault his plan. It was ridiculous enough to distract him from his swirling negative thoughts, and Ben found himself relaxing a little. One beer turned into two, and Ben was surprised to find he was actually enjoying himself. He hadn’t spent much time with Leslie’s coworkers outside of work, but he was starting to think they might actually be his friends.

That settled something that he hadn’t even realized that he’d been worried about. If he stayed in Pawnee—if Leslie _wanted_ him to stay in Pawnee—then he wouldn’t be on his own. He’d have Leslie, of course, but he’d also have Tom and Donna and Andy and April and even Jerry. Chris had been Ben’s only friend for the past few years, the only person who’d stayed in his life longer than a few months. He liked the idea of being a part of Leslie’s friend group.

He was tipsy by the time the bar closed, so he got a cab to drive him back to the motel. He knew that he should probably take a shower, but he sprawled out in his bed instead. He kicked off his shoes and stumbled through the buttons on his shirt. It took him longer to strip than normal, but finally he was down to his boxer briefs. Leslie had picked them out—she’d made him get rid of all of his boxers, so now he didn’t own any underwear that she hadn’t picked out. He’d always found boxer briefs a little constricting, but he’d gotten used to them quickly. The way Leslie looked at him when he stepped inside her house and immediately took off his pants had certainly helped. The way she would suck the head of his cock through the tight fabric helped even more.

Those thoughts were enough to have him getting a little hard. He started slowly, his eyes slipping shut as he imagined Leslie leaning over him. She’d start with his nipples—she always did. Ben slipped two fingers into his mouth, getting them nice and wet before he slid them over a nipple. He kept it light and teasing until he couldn’t stand it any longer, until he needed something more. He could feel his cock leaking as he started to tug on them, digging his nails in slightly for the extra sting. It was good, so good, but it wasn’t enough.

He scrambled for his phone, digging it out of the pocket of his discarded jeans.

“Hey you,” Leslie answered, and Ben could hear papers rustling on her end. “I was wondering when you’d call.”

“Hey,” Ben said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Benjamin Wyatt, are you touching yourself?” Leslie demanded, and the sharpness of her voice had Ben groaning audibly.

“Not yet,” he told her. “I’m—this is me calling to ask permission.”

“Oh really? So there’s no reason your voice sounds so wrecked?”

“I might,” he swallowed, giving his nipple another tug. “I might be playing with my nipples. Just a little.”

“I think that counts as touching yourself, Ben,” Leslie told him. It was the same tone of voice she used when she was arguing with him about Harvest Festival logistics, and Ben loved it so much.

“I couldn’t help it. Kept thinking about you.”

“What were you thinking about?” Leslie asked, her voice slipping to something lower.

“I was thinking about your mouth on me,” Ben said. He slid his hand down his chest, his fingers brushing the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Can I— Leslie, I need to touch myself. Please.”

“Mm, since you asked so nicely,” Leslie replied, a hint of a laugh in her voice. “Give me a second, I need to move to the bed.”

Ben shoved off his underwear, letting out a groan as he wrapped his hand around his cock. He kept his hand still, just gentle pressure as he waited for her.

“Isn’t that a pretty sound,” Leslie hummed. “I love the sounds you make for me. Are you hard, Ben?”

“So hard,” he told her. “I’m dripping.” He slid his thumb over the head of his cock, sliding through precome.

“You’re so pretty when you’re hard for me,” Leslie told him. Her voice came out a little breathy, and Ben groaned at the mental image of what she might be doing. “I love how flushed you get.”

“Are you—” he started to ask, but then Leslie let out a little sound that answered the question for him.

“I wish this were your tongue,” she told him, and if Ben listened hard enough, he could just barely hear the slick slide of her fingers. “I’d sit on your face, taking exactly what I want from you.”

“I’d be so good for you,” Ben breathed.

“You’re always so good for me. Stroke yourself, gorgeous. Slowly.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben breathed. He kept his grip light, slowly sliding his foreskin down over the head. “Feels so good, Leslie. You make me feel so good.”

“You’re making me feel so good,” Leslie’s breathing sped up on the other side of the phone. “I’ve got two fingers inside of me, but I wish they were yours.”

“Can I go faster?” Ben begged. The slow slide of his hand wasn’t enough. “I need more.”

“So greedy,” Leslie laughed. She let out a little moan, and Ben could picture the way her thumb must be flicking over her clit. “Go ahead, Ben. But remember, you can’t come without permission.”

“I won’t,” Ben promised. He tightened his grip, and it was finally what he needed. The sound of her voice on the other end of the line had him falling apart, nearing the edge far quicker than he normally did on his own.

Leslie kept up a steady stream of dialogue, narrating everything she was doing. She broke it up with little encouragements, telling him he was good, that he sounded so pretty. And then she was crying out, and there was a muffled thump as the phone fell from her ear.

“Sorry about that,” Leslie said when she’d picked up the phone again. “Mm, where were we?”

“I’m so close,” Ben breathed, fucking his hips up into his fist. “Please, Leslie. Can I come?”

“Hmm,” Leslie said, dragging it out with an obvious smile. “I don’t know. Do you think you deserve to come?”

“I was good, you said I was good,” Ben stammered, biting down on his lip to try to keep himself from coming.

“But you started playing with your nipples without me,” she reminded him. “I don’t know. Maybe you need a little reminder that I’m in charge.”

Ben was close, so close, and the thought of Leslie denying him had him somehow even harder. He let out a loud groan, his hand still moving on his cock.

“Put your hands down flat on the bed,” Leslie said firmly, and Ben would’ve been embarrassed by the sound he made if he had been aware of it. He dropped his hands onto the mattress, his hips pressing up into the air in search of friction.

“Fuck,” he gasped, his chest heaving with his harsh breathing.

“Good boy,” Leslie said, and she sounded so fond. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Can you wait that long?”

“I— I can wait,” Ben promised in a shaky voice. “I can be good.”

They talked for a while longer, and then Ben got up to take an ice-cold shower.

Leslie held her promise when she got back from Indianapolis, with her mouth on his cock and two fingers curled up inside him. It was well worth the wait.

In the days leading up to the Harvest Festival, Leslie didn’t sleep much. Ben found himself bringing Leslie dinner in her office most nights, and they would work together late into the night. He would drag her home, but he’d always wake up to an empty bed as she jumped back into work. He could tell that the pressure was weighing on her, and he tried to do everything he could to share the load.

Everything was off to a great start, despite whatever curse Ken might have put on them. Ben managed to get Sweetums to donate fifteen more cotton candy machines. He couldn’t wait to tell Leslie. He knew she’d be proud, and he would do nearly anything to make her proud.

Sure enough, when he told Leslie she broke out into a wide grin. She tugged him forward, giving him a slow kiss that was just shy of too dirty for a public place. She pulled back slightly, her hand still warm on the back of his neck. “Good boy,” she breathed, and the look in her eyes nearly dropped Ben to his knees.

“Ugh, get a room!” Tom called out, and the moment broke.

Leslie gave them all a quick pep talk, and then they moved on to the interview with Joan. He was a little nervous about being back on camera, but Leslie’s presence helped him keep his head together. Joan begrudgingly gave her approval, and then Leslie was pulling him forward for a cotton-candy flavored kiss.

“Take that curse,” Ben grinned when they pulled back, and then their luck turned.

The idea of a curse was a little ridiculous, but Ben could see how seriously everyone was taking it. Leslie was in full panic mode as they watched Ken’s interview, and Ben couldn’t manage to talk her down. It felt like a failure. He was supposed to be Leslie’s support system. He was supposed to be the voice of reason that kept her from spiraling out. But he couldn’t manage to do it, and that weighed heavily on him as the day went on.

By the time the lights went out at Leslie’s press conference, Ben had made up his mind. Maybe there was a curse and maybe there wasn’t, but Ben was sure of one thing. He was only hurting Leslie by sticking around, pulling focus and stirring up the media. He rushed through an explanation to Leslie, and then he ran.

* * *

Ben ran and left Leslie to pick up the pieces. Leslie worked late into the night. She investigated the generator failure, and then rushed all the way out to the casino to beg Ken for his generator. After a little bit of groveling and a promise to move the Wamapoke exhibit at the carnival, she finally secured the generator. Ken agreed to a curse-breaking ceremony that she was sure would bring enough media attention to put this whole mess to bed.

Ron called her to say that they’d found L’il Sebastian, and Leslie could finally let herself slow down. She headed home, exhausted and eager to curl up in bed with Ben.

When she got to her house, Ben wasn’t there. She hadn’t had much time to think about Ben leaving while she’d been running around, but now that she was standing in an empty house, her anger started to rise. She got back into her car, fuming as she drove across town to the Pawnee Super Suites.

She knew that Ben had honestly believed he was helping. He’d convinced himself that he was the problem and let his anxiety win out over common sense. Leslie could understand that. But she couldn’t understand the fact that he’d left without talking to her. He’d promised that he’d go to her whenever he was stuck in his head—she had a contract to prove it. But instead, he’d run off, and he’d run off leaving her on her own to sort through a very stressful situation.

She hadn’t needed his help—the fact that she’d sorted through all of this on her own was proof of that. But even if that was the case, it didn’t mean she didn’t want him there. They were supposed to be a team. Wasn’t that what the names on their wrists proved? What was the point if he couldn’t trust in that?

She took a few deep breaths when she got to the parking lot at the motel. It helped her get her head together, and when she got out of the car she had a plan of attack.

“Leslie?” Ben answered the door in nothing but his underwear. His hair was messy with bedhead, and it was obvious that she’d woken him up. “What are you doing here?”

Leslie pushed the door all the way open, walking past Ben into the room. She waited for him to close the door behind her before she spoke.

“What were you thinking?” she asked. Her voice was calm and steady, but Ben clearly picked up on her anger. He took a step backward until he was pressed up against the door.

“I told you,” Ben said. His eyes darted around the room, unable to make eye contact. “I felt like I was just making things worse.”

“You left me with a dozen angry reporters,” Leslie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve been working my butt off while you’ve been here sleeping.”

“Oh,” Ben responded, and the guilt was obvious on his face. “I didn’t mean to—”

“But you did mean to,” Leslie interrupted sharply. “You meant to leave, didn’t you? And do you know what else you did?”

Ben shook his head, but that wasn’t good enough.

“Use your words,” she demanded, and the harshness of her voice was enough to get Ben to finally meet her eyes.

“What else did I do?”

“You broke a rule.” Leslie could see the moment it hit him. Ben’s eyes widened with the realization, but she cut him off before he could start apologizing. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and tossed it at him. “I want you to go kneel in the corner,” she told him, pointing to the corner of the room.

It was a cramped area, with a nightstand on one side and a chair on the other. Ben slipped between them and dropped to his knees, letting his head tip forward to rest against the wall. She could see the tension in his back, and she decided to make him stay there until it left.

Leslie moved to the bed, sitting down on the edge. She slipped off her shoes with a sigh, regretting her choice to wear heels. She had the beginning of a headache, and for a moment she was tempted to pull Ben into bed so they could both get some sleep. It would be easy, and they could both use the sleep, but she knew it wasn’t what Ben needed.

Ben needed the reminder that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to fight through his anxiety and insecurities on his own. He had Leslie in his corner every step of the way. He just had to let her in.

She pulled out her phone and went through some emails, getting a little work done while she let Ben stew. She got a little distracted, and when she looked up again nearly twenty minutes had passed.

“How are your knees?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“I’m fine,” Ben replied. His voice was thick, and Leslie realized that he’d been crying.

“Come here, sweetheart,” she told him. He stood up slowly, his knees cracking loudly as he did. She frowned, making a mental note not to let him kneel for so long again.

He stopped a few feet in front of her, and Leslie reached out to pull him closer.

“You’re okay,” she promised, reaching out to wipe the tears off of his face. “I’ve got you.”

He took a shaky breath, nodding a little. Leslie stood up, leaning forward to give him a soft kiss.

“Go bend over the table,” she told him, squeezing his hip.

Ben moved hesitantly to the small table. He had his laptop and a few files spread out on it, and he was careful not to disturb them as he bent over. His briefs were snug around his ass, and Leslie couldn’t help the little sound she made at the sight.

“Good boy,” she told him. She stroked his back softly, trying to relax the tension she felt there. “Can you tell me what you did wrong?”

Ben’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of the table. He let out a shaky breath, and then he started to speak.

“I ran away. I didn’t talk to you when I was getting upset, even though I’m supposed to. I left you to clean up my mess.”

“It wasn’t your mess,” Leslie said firmly. “None of what happened tonight was your fault. Jerry let out L’il Sebastian, and the reporters overextended the generator. You weren’t responsible for any of that.”

Ben didn’t reply, and Leslie wasn’t having that.

“Repeat it,” Leslie said sharply. “Tell me that it wasn’t your fault.”

“But Joan started talking about Ice Town, and then—”

“Repeat it, Ben,” she demanded. She brought her hand down hard on his ass, cutting off his words. The loud sound echoed through the room.

“I-It wasn’t my fault,” Ben gasped out.

Leslie rubbed over the spot she’d hit, pressing firmly to bring out the sting.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she agreed. “If you had come to talk to me, I would’ve told you that. I would’ve given you what you needed.”

“I’d be in the way,” Ben argued. “You needed to fix everything. You didn’t have time to talk me down.”

Leslie brought her hand down three times in quick succession, each one harder than the one before. Ben let out a pained sound, accidentally knocking some papers off of the table.

“I always have time for you, Ben,” Leslie said quietly. “You don’t get to decide what I can’t handle.”

“I thought I was helping,” Ben said. Leslie could hear from the hitch in his voice that he wouldn’t hang on much longer. “I didn’t want to ruin things like I always ruin things.”

Leslie tugged down his briefs, and his ass was already starting to redden. It was a gorgeous view, but she didn’t have time to admire it. She brought her hand down again, and Ben’s breathing hitched sharply.

“You’re not allowed to talk about yourself like that,” she told him with another spank. “No one’s allowed to talk about my sub like that.”

“I’m sorry!” Ben gasped out, trying to pull away from her hand.

“Tell me what you’re sorry for,” she said, digging her thumbs into the sore skin. He squirmed in pain, and Leslie pressed harder.

“I’m sorry I said that,” he gasped. “I’m sorry I ran away and didn’t talk to you.”

“What would have happened if you’d talked to me?” Leslie asked. She eased up on her thumbs, giving Ben a moment of reprieve. “What would I have done?”

“You were busy,” Ben started, and Leslie’s hand came down again. “But,” Ben gasped, swallowing thickly. “But you wouldn’t have been too busy for me.”

“I’m never too busy for you,” Leslie said, leaning down to press a kiss to the back of his neck.

“You’re never too busy for me,” Ben repeated, his voice breaking. “And you would’ve, you would’ve given me what I needed. You would’ve been able to get me out of my head.”

“And then you would’ve helped me save the Harvest Festival,” Leslie told him.

“But you didn’t need me,” Ben said in a quiet voice. “You did it all on your own.”

“You’re right,” Leslie told him, and she could feel him curling in on himself at that. “I didn’t need you, Ben, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you there. I always want you there. Everything’s easier when you’re with me.”

She could feel the moment when Ben started to believe her. His head dropped down, and the death grip he had on the table started to relax. “I’m sorry, Leslie,” he whispered.

“I’m going to spank you four more times,” Leslie told him. “I want you to count each one for me, and then we’ll be done. Can you do that for me?”

“I can,” Ben said shakily. “I can be good.”

Leslie kissed his shoulder softly and then she pulled back again. She rubbed over his ass, loving how hot the skin felt under her hand.

“One!” Ben cried out at the first spank. He rocked forward, jostling the table roughly. She brought her hand down again, watching the way his back arched. God, he was gorgeous like this, squirming and red under her. Arousal simmered inside of her, growing with each drop of her hand, each gasp that poured out of Ben’s mouth.

He was crying again by the time she’d finished, his shoulders shaking with each breath. Leslie pulled him up, turning him around and curling her arms around him.

“You did so well, sweetheart,” she breathed, voice warm against his ear. “I’m so proud of you, Ben. You’re such a good boy.”

Ben pressed his face to her shoulder, clinging to her as he tried to slow his breathing. She could feel him hard against her thigh, but he seemed almost unaware of it. She rubbed his back in slow circles, trying to give him all the comfort that he needed.

“Let’s get to the bed,” she told him, slowly walking them to the bed. “I want to rub some cream onto you. Can you lie down on your stomach for me?”

Leslie had to dig through her purse, but she managed to find some lotion. If they had been at her house she would’ve used aloe or arnica, but this would have to do for now. She climbed onto the bed, one knee on either side of Ben as she leaned over him.

“I’m so proud of you,” she told him. The lotion was cool in her hand, and she spread it onto him with light, soothing touches. “You took your punishment so well, Ben. You made me so proud.”

“I want to be good for you,” Ben breathed. He had his arms underneath his head, and his voice was barely audible. “I want you to, to be proud of me.”

“You’ve done so much to make the Harvest Festival a success,” she told him. “You got us that deal with Sweetums. You’re the one that got us Aunt Tilda. Do you know how proud I was when you told me you’d gotten her to sign?”

Ben let out a shaky breath, and she could see him nodding against his arms.

“We wouldn’t have gotten the police coverage we needed without you,” she reminded him. She added more lotion, letting her fingers brush against his rim in the name of being thorough. Ben let out a shaky gasp, and she watched his hips rock against the mattress. “You were so brave, weren’t you, when you went to talk to the Chief? You did that just for me, just to make me happy.”

Leslie sat back on her heels, looking down at Ben as he squirmed. She was tempted to let him get off just like this, grinding against the mattress until he came while she rubbed his ass. But she wanted to see his face when he came. She needed to know that he believed everything she was saying.

“Roll over for me,” she told him, tapping his hip. Ben moved slowly, and she could see the wince on his face as he put pressure on his sore ass. “Is that too much?” she asked. “If it’s too painful you can go back on your stomach.”

“No,” Ben shook his head, sitting up a little so he could meet her eyes. “No, it’s- it’s good.”

The bead of precome on the tip of his cock was all the encouragement she needed. She was still fully clothed, and she loved how powerful it made her feel to have him naked and vulnerable underneath her. She slipped her hand around his cock, gripping the base, and grinned when it made Ben’s head fall back.

“You’ve been so good for me,” she told him, and she started to shrug off her blazer. Ben watched her as she got her shirt off, and then her bra. “I think you deserve a reward.”

“Eleanor?” Ben asked, and Leslie grinned down at him. He’d memorized her favorite positions so quickly.

“Not this time,” she told him. She stood up, working her slacks and panties off at the same time. “Tonight, I was thinking Abigail.”

“Oh fuck, please,” Ben gasped, quickly pulling himself up. Leslie grinned, loving how eager he was. She sat down on the edge of the bed, tugging him until he was standing between her legs.

“You can’t come until I do,” she told him, giving his cock another stroke. “But as soon as I come, you can come whenever you want. You don’t have to ask for permission.”

Ben nodded quickly, and Leslie grinned up at him. She reached for his neck, pulling him down into a slow kiss. It wouldn’t take much to get her ready; she’d been wet since she’d first started spanking him. But Ben was nothing if not considerate, so he slid his hand up her thighs. His fingers knew her so well, slipping between her lips and sliding over her clit. She rocked into it, letting her nails dig into his skin in the way she knew he liked.

She knew he wouldn’t last long once he was inside of her, so she let him work over her until she was close. “Now, now,” she breathed, sucking a kiss on his neck. “Fuck me, baby, come on.”

She laid back, and he grabbed her thighs to pull her closer. His hand shook as he guided himself inside, and then finally, finally he was fucking her.

“You feel so good,” she breathed, meeting him thrust for thrust. Ben’s fingers tightened on her hip, and she found herself hoping they’d leave bruises. His other hand kept sliding over her clit, giving her the firm pressure she needed. “Fuck me harder, Ben. Make me feel it.”

Ben cried out as he obeyed, the bed shaking with their movements. Leslie felt it building with each thrust, closer and closer until she was falling apart. He fucked her through it, and it was almost too much, but then he was spilling inside of her, filling her up with his come.


	9. Chapter 9

The Harvest Festival was a huge success. Leslie had known it would be; she’d poured her heart and soul into it, so _obviously_ it was going to be successful. Even during the most stressful parts, she hadn’t let herself stand still long enough to start worrying. That was the way Leslie had always been; she channeled her anxiety into action. It was the only way she’d been able to stomach the thought of Ann’s impending move to Indianapolis. If she stayed busy enough with planning the Harvest Festival, she wouldn’t have to think about it.

But once the festival ended, she couldn’t put off thinking about it any longer. Ann invited her over to help pack, and Leslie did her best to distract both of them from their task. Leslie’s plan was foolproof: if Ann never finished packing, she could never leave.

Thinking about Ann leaving was heartbreaking. Leslie had never had a hard time making friends; she always remembered birthdays and she gave incredible gifts, and that alone was enough to keep people around her. Even before she’d met Ann, she’d never had a hard time filling all the seats at the table on Galentine’s Day. But she couldn’t just replace Ann with another friend and move on. She’d never had a friend like Ann before, never had someone who understood her so completely and supported even her craziest ideas. The idea of losing Ann felt like losing a limb; it was a loss that would fundamentally change the way Leslie saw herself, the way she interacted with the world.

And then, just a few days before Ann was about to meet Chris in Indianapolis, Paul had a heart attack and collapsed in City Hall. Leslie wasn’t sure who made the decision to hire Chris, but whoever it was had made the right choice. Chris was qualified and already familiar with the ins and outs of Pawnee’s government, so it wouldn’t take long to get him up to speed. Chris taking the job meant that Ann wasn’t leaving, which was the only thing Leslie really cared about.

So the Harvest Festival had been a success, and Ann wasn’t moving, and Leslie should’ve been thrilled.

She wasn’t.

Because now she had to come up with another project—something that could top the Harvest Festival, which was the best idea she’d ever come up with. Everyone had such high expectations, and Leslie wasn’t sure what to do about that. Her whole life had been spent pushing past people’s low expectations of her; she was a pro at proving people wrong. What was she supposed to do now that their expectations were higher? What if she couldn’t live up to it?

It kept her up at night. She’d roll onto her side and watch Ben breathe, jealous of how peaceful he looked in his sleep. He’d be leaving Pawnee any day now, but he didn’t seem bothered by that at all. He hadn’t brought it up, so she hadn’t brought it up, and now it weighed over her heavily, adding to the ball of anxiety in her stomach. Putting things off was unlike her, and she hated that. Leslie was a planner; when faced with a scary situation, she would make binders and outline contingencies until she’d planned away any anxieties she’d had. So why couldn’t she do that for Ben’s move?

She decided to focus on one thing at a time; she couldn’t split her energy between coming up with a great idea _and_ figuring out the future of her relationship with Ben. The idea first, and then… and then the rest.

Camping was the obvious solution. It was team building that forced her coworkers together overnight, and Leslie always did her best thinking overnight.

“Are you sure it has to be camping?” Ben frowned when Leslie told him about it. “I’m not a huge fan of sleeping on the floor.”

“I think it’s called the ground when you’re outside,” Leslie told him with a laugh.

Ben didn’t have any camping equipment, but Leslie’s slight hoarding tendencies had them covered.

“You don’t have to bring anything but that cute butt,” Leslie promised him, giving his ass a playful smack. They were in her kitchen cleaning up from breakfast, which meant that Ben was in nothing but the cuff on his left wrist and a tight pair of briefs. It was a really good look on him, and Leslie could never keep her hands to herself. “I bet I can get you to change your mind about camping.”

Ben looked up at that, grinning at the challenge. “How do you plan on doing that?”

“You’ll have to wait and find out,” Leslie grinned. She stepped forward, trapping him between her arms and the counter. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” She pulled him down into a slow kiss, filled with promises for the night to come.

They were nearly late to work, but she managed to make Ben come around on the idea of camping.

Convincing the rest of the Parks Department to come along wasn’t quite as easy. Ron was game of course, because he loved camping and he’d take whatever excuse he needed to go fishing. He put up a token protest about the work requirement and the forced proximity to his coworkers, but Leslie knew it was mostly for show. April, on the other hand, seemed to be genuinely upset about the trip. Leslie told her she could bring Andy and hoped that would be enough to keep her from skipping the whole thing entirely.

Despite Leslie’s detailed itinerary, things quickly went off the rails. Tom had seemingly brought an entire Skymall catalog’s worth of luxury camping gear, and he would rather watch Real Housewives of Wherever than get to work. But Leslie finally managed to corral everyone into a circle, and the brainstorming began. She had high hopes; she had the best coworkers in the entire world, so surely between all of them they could come up with something worthwhile. Or, more realistically, someone would say something that would give her a spark of inspiration, and she’d take the idea the rest of the way there.

That didn’t happen. Leslie’s anxiety was coming swirling back with the realization that her coworkers weren’t going to provide the burst of inspiration that she needed. Ron was only concerned with returning money to the taxpayers, and Tom’s idea for a stadium was unrealistic and absurd. Donna’s dog park wouldn’t create revenue, and even if it could have, Leslie doubted there were enough poodles in Pawnee to sustain it. Ben played it safe with an idea to invest the money. It was practical and responsible, which was exactly what she’d come to expect from Ben. She gave him an encouraging smile—at least he was trying, unlike everyone else—but her heart wasn’t in it.

“What are you even still doing here?” Tom asked Ben, clearly unimpressed with his idea. “Harvest Festival is over. Shouldn't you be back in Indianapolis?”

“Wait, Ben, you’re still planning on going back to Indianapolis?” Jerry asked. “I thought that you’d be staying here, you know, because of Leslie.”

Leslie felt her face heating up; she hadn’t had this conversation with Ben yet, and she definitely wasn’t going to have it for the first time with everyone listening in. She had to divert the conversation quickly before anyone asked any follow-up questions.

“Hey. Ben helped us launch the Harvest Festival, and he knows how Chris's mind works. And he's a valuable asset to the team.”

She risked a glance over at Ben, terrified for what she might see on his face. Did he feel just as insecure about this as she did? Was he upset that she’d evaded the question? But when she met his eyes, Ben didn’t look worried at all. He smiled at her softly, thanking her, and the conversation moved on.

That was almost more unsettling than seeing him panicked would have been; at least then she would know where they stood. She wished for a moment that she could read his mind, that she could decipher everything he was feeling with just a glance. Soulmates were supposed to know each other better than anyone else, so why did she feel completely lost as she met Ben’s eyes?

She told them to all take an hour to clear their heads, hoping that might be enough to get their brains working. She wished she’d been able to convince Ann to come with them, but Ann had been too busy unpacking her house. Leslie supposed she couldn’t complain about that, but she still felt mixed up in a way that only talking to her best friend would fix.

Just as she was about to start wandering around in search of cell signal to call Ann, Ben came up to her.

“Hey,” he said in a quiet voice. There was a softness in his eyes that instantly had her relaxing, just the slightest bit. “I know you told us all to go clear our heads, but it looked like maybe you could use someone to talk to?”

He brought a hand up to her shoulder, squeezing gently. It was the smallest gesture; it would’ve been appropriate if they weren’t anything more than colleagues. Somehow, though, it still felt intimate. It was exactly what she needed. Maybe Leslie couldn’t read Ben’s thoughts off of his expression, but Ben had clearly read hers.

Leslie asked him if he wanted to go on a walk and he agreed. She slipped her hand in Ben’s, leading him over to a trail. She didn’t want to have this conversation where anyone could hear.

Ben ran his thumb across her knuckles as they walked. He was a quiet, supportive presence. Leslie appreciated the time it gave her to gather her thoughts. There were two big worries on her mind: Ben’s move and the new project idea. She didn’t know where to start.

“Ben,” she finally said, when they were nearly at the overlook. “This new project idea… It’s not really a big deal. I’m probably making too much out of it.”

“Oh, no, no. It's really big. I mean, you got everyone's attention with the Harvest Festival. Now, you're gonna seal the deal. It's the chance you've been waiting for.” He was smiling over at her, and this time Leslie could read his face. He looked so proud of her, so excited for her next opportunity. It should’ve made her feel better, but it just made her stomach sink. She was going to let down Chris, and all of her coworkers. She didn’t want to let Ben down too.

“What if the festival was, like, a high point for me, and I never do anything better than that?”

The words came out quieter than she intended, finally voicing the insecurities that she’d been pressing down since the festival ended.

“Then you wouldn’t be Leslie Knope,” he said. There was a response on the tip of her tongue, but he reached over and tilted her chin to look up at him before she could speak. “I know you, Leslie. I've honestly never met someone who works as hard as you do. I mean, you're like the Energizer Bunny of city government.”

That made her laugh, and she took a step forward, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“The meeting is tomorrow and I don’t have anything,” she admitted quietly.

“What about all of those binders in your office?” Ben asked, and she could hear the surprise in his voice.

“They're filled with small ideas. We need a big, juicy idea.”

Ben wrapped his arms around her, and she sank against his chest. She was still on the precipice of panic, but being in his arms was helping to draw her back.

“You’ll think of something, Leslie,” he said with confidence that she wished that she felt. “I’ll help, and we’ll figure something out.”

“These last few weeks, I’ve been doing everything I could to ignore the fact that Ann was moving away,” Leslie said. She hadn’t meant to change the subject, but the words came bubbling out. Something about the comfort of Ben’s arms gave her the courage to finally voice the words she’d been holding back for so long. “Because… because I can’t see myself— I wouldn’t be able to handle it if she left. So I pushed it down, and focused on the Harvest Festival, and pretended like everything was fine.”

Ben rubbed her back in slow circles, but he didn’t speak. He was giving her the space she needed to work through everything she was feeling. He was giving her exactly what she needed before Leslie even knew she needed it. How did he do that?

“When Chris took the City Manager job,” she started again after a pause. Her voice was a little shaky, but she wasn’t crying. She counted that as a win, and she needed all the wins she could get right now. “I thought that I’d feel this… this big relief, like a weight had been taken off of my shoulders. I thought maybe I’d be able to sleep at night, now that things were going back to normal. But I can’t, Ben. Because it’s not just about losing Ann, it’s about losing _you_ and—”

“Leslie, I’m not going anywhere.” His voice was firm and sure. He stepped back, tilting her head again to meet her eyes. “You don’t need to worry about that. I—”

“I can’t talk about this right now,” Leslie burst out. She took a step back, and then another, until she was out of his arms. She couldn’t touch him right now, not if she wanted to get her thoughts out. “I can’t… I can’t worry about you and the meeting at the same time. I’ll fall apart.”

“That’s okay,” Ben said. His voice was just as steady as it had been moments before, as if she hadn’t just shut down the conversation they desperately needed to have. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? But just… Just let me say that you don’t need to worry. I promise.”

 _How can you be so sure?_ she wanted to demand. She forced the words back. She needed to focus on work right now, or she might never have the opportunity to focus on work again.

“Thank you, Ben.” She let out a slow breath, trying to get herself back together. Ben just smiled and reached for her hand.

* * *

Something had shifted after that night at the motel. It took Ben a while to pinpoint just what it was in the days following his first punishment. And it really was his first punishment—not just the first punishment that Leslie had given him, but the first _real_ punishment that he’d ever received. He’d been in relationships with doms before, but they’d never been like this. He’d been spanked, but it had just felt like foreplay, something fun that led up to the main event. The rules his doms had given him were never serious because the relationships hadn’t been serious. Getting a spanking for forgetting to take his shoes off inside could never break him apart and put him back together again; minor disobediences made the punishment feel trite and meaningless. He hadn’t disliked spankings, but he hadn’t really understood them either. It had always felt like something enjoyable only for doms, a way for them to get off on how much power they held over him.

Leslie’s punishment hadn’t felt anything like that. He’d stumbled back to the motel in a haze, curled up in bed, and let his thoughts spiral into a torrent of self-loathing and guilt. He’d cried himself to sleep after a while, which was something that hadn’t happened in years. And then there was a banging on the door, and Leslie was there.

Somehow, Ben had never considered that Leslie would come find him. Maybe it was because she’d never spent time at the motel, or maybe it was because he assumed that she was just as disgusted with him as he was, but it had never crossed his mind. But regardless of what he’d thought, Leslie had come back.

She had him kneel in the corner. He’d done that hundreds of times for dozens of doms. He would usually daydream to pass the time because “think about what you did” got boring fast. This time was different. He didn’t recite the plot of his favorite episodes of Doctor Who in his mind, or plot out another chapter in his latest fanfic. Instead, he closed his eyes and saw the look on Leslie’s face when she’d stormed in. His guilt was back, but it was redirected now. He wasn’t thinking about Ice Town anymore; he was thinking about the fact that he’d run away. He was thinking about the fact that he’d been anxious and hadn’t gone to Leslie about it. But the thought that circled through his head, again and again, was _she came back_.

Leslie came back. By the end of the night, Ben knew that Leslie would always come back. She wouldn’t let him run away. She’d drag him back and make him face his problems every time. She’d give him what he needed. It felt like a revelation. It felt like being reborn, like he walked out of that motel room a different person.

He didn’t pinpoint it right away, but after a few days, he started to recognize what he was feeling. Or, more accurately, what he _wasn’t_ feeling. Ben knew he was an anxious person, but he’d always thought it came on in bouts. He’d see a police officer at the entrance to a grocery store and go out through the back to avoid them. He’d stammer and lose his train of thought whenever he was in front of a camera. He’d have moments of anxiety, but in his day to day life he was mostly unaffected.

But now, Ben was realizing that wasn’t true. There had always been a tension in his shoulders, a low hum of worry in the back of his mind. He’d grown used to the feeling, so used to it that it was like it wasn’t there at all. He hadn’t been aware of the lingering knot in his stomach until it was suddenly gone.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Ben felt safe. That was what it was. He felt safe with Leslie. He felt supported. It wasn’t him against the world anymore; it was them, together. A team. He could lean on Leslie, and she’d give him what he needed. It was a heady realization, but a wonderful one.

He knew his anxiety wouldn’t be gone forever; one spanking couldn’t fix everything. He knew it would be back. There would be moments where his brain would throw horrible thoughts at him and he’d believe every single one. But knowing that Leslie would be there to drag him out of it felt like a balm on sunburned skin.

Suddenly, everything he’d been so worried about seemed insignificant. The deadline to go back to work was still looming, but it didn’t seem so scary anymore. He’d gotten a job offer—Barney seemed thrilled to have Ben on board, and he hadn’t minded giving him a few weeks to think it over. So maybe he’d take that job, or maybe he wouldn’t, but the specifics didn’t seem to matter. He was staying in Pawnee. He knew that now, and he knew that ultimately, Leslie would agree. She might have her doubts about him quitting his job for the State, but she’d come around. Ben needed to be wherever Leslie was, and Leslie would always give him what he needed. It was going to be okay.

He put up a token protest about the camping trip, but he didn’t really mind it. Leslie wanted to create a team bonding event, and Ben was just happy that he got to be a part of that team. As the night went on, though, he started to pick up on Leslie’s stress. He felt horrible for not picking up on it until now, but he pushed the guilt out of his mind. Right now, all that mattered was being the support that Leslie needed. He’d table the conversation about his job if that was what she wanted. He’d brainstorm ideas with her all night if that was what she needed.

But Ben didn’t really think that was what she needed. He was used to Leslie staying up after him and waking up before him, but it had seemed even worse lately. Leslie was pushing herself too far, and Ben was pretty sure she was going to fall apart if she didn’t slow down soon.

He might not be the dom, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take care of her.

When they got back to the campsite, Leslie tried to throw everyone back into work. Chris’ arrival during his late-night run clearly upset her, so Ben did his best to distract him. By the time he had convinced Chris to go home, things had descended into chaos. Everyone had started to pack up to leave, and then Ron’s car had died. Jerry started to lead everyone to a bed and breakfast, but Ben pulled Leslie aside before she could follow with them.

“Why don’t we stay here?” he suggested. He could see the beginnings of protest on her face, but he kept going before she could say anything. “We’ve already set up our tent, and you know the rest of them won’t be any help tonight. We can hunker down here, work through some ideas, and get some sleep.”

“Alright,” Leslie said after a moment. While she ran off to tell the others, Ben climbed into Leslie’s tent. He switched on a lantern and settled in. It wasn’t very comfortable, but he appreciated the privacy they’d have here.

“Okay,” Leslie said as she came into the tent. “So we’re pulling an all-nighter. That’s fun! We’ll just bounce ideas off of each other all night, and—”

“Before we start that,” Ben interrupted with a smile, “I think I was promised that you’d make camping worth my while.”

Leslie looked gorgeous in the warm light from the lantern. She also looked annoyed.

“I did say that,” she sighed. “I did, but, Ben, we don’t have time for that.”

“I think we should make time,” Ben said. He reached out, pulling her closer. “I think that it’ll help you clear your mind and relax a little. You’ll be able to think better if you’re not so tense.”

He could see her resolve beginning to waver.

“What did you have in mind?” she said after a beat.

“I could give you a massage to start,” Ben offered. “And then we’ll see where the night takes us.”

“I do my best thinking during massages,” Leslie finally agreed. “Alright. But afterward, we’re going straight back to work. Understood?”

“If you still want to work afterward, I’ll listen,” Ben countered. If things went the way he hoped they would, Leslie wouldn’t be pulling an all-nighter tonight.

“Of course I’m still going to want to work,” Leslie said. She sat up, pulling off her shirt. Ben watched with a grin, enjoying the view. She lay down on her stomach once she was down to just her panties, pillowing her head on her arms.

“I should’ve brought lotion,” Ben said. He climbed over her, leaning back on his heels with one knee on either side of her body.

“I’ve got some in my bag,” Leslie murmured. Ben should’ve known that she would come prepared.

He pulled her bag over, digging through it until he found the bottle of lotion. He poured a little in his hands, rubbing them together until it wasn’t quite so cold.

“I can feel how hard you’re thinking,” Ben said in a quiet voice. “You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“It’s hard to relax when I have so much to do,” Leslie argued, but her voice dropped off as Ben started working over her shoulders. He wasn’t an expert at his, but he’d given enough massages to have a general idea of how to work the tension out of her muscles. He started at her shoulders, using his fingers for grip and kneading his thumbs deep into her muscles.

“Oh,” she said, “You’re good at this.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Ben laughed. “Just close your eyes for me, okay? Try to relax.”

“I’m supposed to be the one in charge,” Leslie grumbled, but Ben could feel as she took his advice. Her breathing started to slow, and he slowly felt the tension drifting away. He moved down her back, avoiding the edges over her ribcage where he knew she was a little ticklish. Massaging her felt almost meditative. His thoughts floated away until the only thing that mattered was helping Leslie relax. It wasn’t quite like subspace, but it was similar in the way his world reduced to nothing but the feeling of Leslie’s skin underneath his hands. He found himself matching her breath for breath without meaning to, and suddenly he couldn’t tell where her body ended and his began.

He was down to her lower back when he could finally tell that she’d stopped thinking. He’d never seen her so calm outside of sleep, and even then, she usually talked in her sleep. Right now she was boneless underneath him, letting him melt her worries away with his hands. There was something powerful about being able to quiet her mind. He felt warm with the knowledge that he was taking care of her. He was giving her exactly what she’d needed; he’d known how to give her what he needed, even when she hadn’t asked for it. That knowledge sunk into him, giving him the same satisfaction and pride that he felt every time she told him he was a good boy.

He added more lotion to his palms and moved down her body. He started again with her feet, slowly working up each leg. He was sliding his thumbs over her left leg, his fingers running over her inner thigh when the mood in the tent shifted. Leslie had let out a few sounds since he’d started, little hums and satisfied sighs, but the sound she made right then was completely different. The last time Ben had heard that sound, he’d had his mouth around her nipple.

She shifted underneath him at the same time, letting her legs part just the slightest bit in invitation. It was right about then that Ben realized that he’d been hard for a good part of the massage; he’d just been too focused on Leslie to notice it.

“Turn over for me,” Ben told her. He pressed on her hip to help her move, and then she was on her back. She blinked up at him, but Ben shook his head. “Close your eyes. Just relax.”

Leslie nodded, sliding an arm over her face and settling in again. Ben curled two fingers on either side of her panties, slowly sliding them down her legs. He had to move over so that he could get them all the way off, but then he climbed back between her legs. He tried to lie down on his stomach, but there wasn’t enough room in the tent. Instead, he pulled her legs up, hooking her knees on his shoulders. Leslie let out a satisfied sound as he started to kiss over her thigh. There was a gross chemical taste from the lotion, and Ben wondered for a moment if ingesting it was toxic. But that thought—and all others—drifted away as Leslie started to open up for him. He could already see how wet she was, her scent almost overpowering the smell of the lotion.

He couldn’t tease for long. This wasn’t about getting her riled up. It was about giving her what she needed. He pulled her a little closer, leaning down to slowly lick between her folds. Leslie let out a sigh, and he could see the slight smile on her face. He loved knowing he’d put it there.

Ben ate her out methodically, almost analytically. He’d learned her body easily, and by now he knew exactly what she liked. He’d start with gentle, flat brushes of his tongue until she started to rock against him. Then he would increase the pressure, focusing his attention on her clit. He’d sweep over it in circles, and then he’d suck it into his mouth. That was when he would slide two fingers into her, but tonight he couldn’t do that.

“I want your fingers,” Leslie breathed, pressing back into him. “Please, Ben.” Her voice was soft, unhurried but still asking for what she wanted.

“I can’t,” Ben said, pressing a kiss to her hip. “I’m sorry, baby. I’ve got lotion all over my hands.” That was a yeast infection waiting to happen, but Ben figured mentioning yeast infections right now would probably ruin the mood.

“Then fuck me,” Leslie whined. “C’mon, Ben. I need it.”

“I’ve got you,” Ben promised. “I’ll give you what you need.”

Leslie whined again when he pulled away. Ben worked open his belt, shoving his pants and underwear down quickly. He wiped his hands off the best he could before he lined his cock up.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” He murmured as he slowly pressed inside. Leslie just shoved her hips up so that he was completely inside her. He laughed—it was so typical of Leslie to be bossy even when he was trying to do all of the work. But he took the message and started to rock into her the way he knew she liked. He kept his movements slow and deep, his thumb rubbing over her clit with each thrust. He wouldn’t last long; the feeling of taking care of her, of seeing her let go and trust him this much had him nearly on the edge.

From the sounds she was making, Ben could tell that Leslie was getting there too. His hand slid on her thigh, the lotion making it harder to keep his grip, but he just adjusted it and kept going. “That’s it, Leslie,” he breathed, watching her mouth fall open in a silent cry. “Come for me, baby.”

He followed after, pressing his face against his shoulder and breathing hotly as he came down. He gave himself a moment, and then he slowly pulled out. He had to dig through her bag, but he found a package of wet wipes and did his best to clean them both up. They were both greasy from the lotion, and they’d definitely need a shower when they got home. But Leslie’s breathing was already deepening with sleep and that had been his goal all along.

Ben finished cleaning up and changed, and then he curled up next to Leslie. He pulled a blanket over them and switched off the lantern. The sounds of the forest drifted around them. Crickets, an owl, and a far off stream sang him to sleep, warm against Leslie’s side.


	10. Chapter 10

When Leslie woke up, the sound of birds was much louder than she was used to hearing from outside her window. It took her a moment to place where she was, but then the events of the night before started to come back to her. She basked in the memory for a moment, watching Ben sleep peacefully, curled up against her side. Then she remembered the meeting with Chris, and she sat up with a start. Her watch told her that she’d slept nearly double the amount she normally did. For some reason, though, her first thought wasn’t about how much time she’d wasted. The clock was ticking, and she only had a few hours until she had to be at City Hall, but the anxiety of the day before was gone. Her head felt fresh and clear, and suddenly she had the beginnings of three great ideas.

By the time she was dressed, she’d made it to seven.

“Leslie?” Ben rolled over, slowly sitting up with a stretch. “What time is it?”

“Five,” Leslie told him, packing the last of her stuff into her bag. “We should get going, pack up the tent and head back home so we can shower before the meeting.”

“How’re you feeling about that?” Ben asked as he started to get dressed. It was cramped in the tent, and Leslie enjoyed watching him bend over to tug on his pants.

“Prepared,” she said. “And that’s all thanks to you, Ben. You… You took such good care of me last night. That was exactly what I needed.”

Ben flushed at that, tucking his head at the praise. “I knew you’d come up with something if you gave yourself a chance to rest.”

“You were right,” Leslie said with a smile. “Thank you, Ben. You’re such a good boy.”

“Don’t call me that when we don’t have time to deal with the reaction it causes.”

“If we get back on the road in the next ten minutes, I think we’ll have time in the shower,” Leslie offered. Ben was more than onboard, and between the two of them they were packed and ready to go right on time.

Leslie felt gross from the night before; wet wipes could only do so much, and her sweat mixed with the remnants of last night’s lotion made her skin feel tacky. Ben looked just as uncomfortable during the drive, but the way he kept shifting in his seat made her think it wasn’t for the same reasons. She drove responsibly—because she always did—but she felt more tempted than she’d felt in a while to speed.

When they got home, Ben offered to unload the car while she got started in the shower. She appreciated the gesture. She’d need to wash her hair, which always took more time than Ben’s did. She let the water warm up as she brushed her teeth, slowly starting to feel human again. She was almost done washing up when she heard the bathroom door open.

Ben slipped into the shower behind her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he slipped his arms around her.

“Camping always makes me so appreciative of running water,” she murmured, pressing back against him.

“Seeing you showering makes me feel the same way,” Ben teased, and Leslie let out an undignified snort.

“Someone wants something,” she said, reaching around to pinch his ribcage.

“Someone said we’d have time if I was good,” Ben said, dragging his teeth over her shoulder. “And I think I was very good.”

“Oh, do you?” Leslie asked. She turned in his arms, smiling at him underneath the spray. “Finish cleaning yourself up, and then we’ll see.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben said, reaching for his shampoo. Leslie finished rinsing out her hair, and then she stepped out from under the water to give Ben more room. She watched him wash up with an easy smile, loving how familiar this was starting to feel. That thought reminded her of the conversation they’d avoided last night. She wasn’t quite ready to start it; the meeting with Chris was still at the top of her mind, even if she felt more prepared for it now. But she felt ready to bring it up again, to set a plan for when they would discuss it, and that was a start.

“After we’re done with Chris, why don’t we get lunch at JJ’s?”

Ben turned around, smiling easily at her. “Sure. Just us, or did you want to invite Chris? Is Ann working?”

“I was thinking just us,” Leslie said, shaking her head. It wasn’t like her to give up a chance to see Ann, but this was too important. “I was thinking we could pick back up the conversation we shelved yesterday.”

“Oh,” Ben said. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He reached out, squeezing her arm with a soapy hand. Suddenly, the conversation didn’t feel quite so scary.

“I have another good idea,” Leslie said before she could get sidetracked into starting what would probably end up being a very serious discussion in the shower. She took a step back, bringing one leg up on the ledge of the shower. Her hand grabbed the bar in the shower for support, and she leaned back against the wall. “Why don’t you kneel for me and eat me out?”

“Fuck,” Ben breathed, already dropping to his knees. Leslie knew the floor of the shower wouldn’t be very comfortable for very long, but she didn’t think she’d need very long. The angle wasn’t quite right, and Ben had to sit back on his heels to make it work. She curled her fingers in his damp hair, letting her head tip back with a sigh. He was making up for the restrictions last night, already slipping two fingers inside of her and rocking in time to the flicks of his tongue.

“You’re so good at this,” she told him. “So good for me, aren’t you?”

She could see the effect her words were having on him, and that just spurred her on. “You’re so pretty on your knees, Ben. I’d keep you here forever if I could. You’re so eager to please, willing to do whatever I need. My good boy.”

Ben’s tongue stuttered against her clit as he moaned, and Leslie’s grin widened. “Look at how hard you are. You’re dripping just from this, and I haven’t even touched you yet. You have such a pretty cock, Ben. I love seeing it pink and throbbing for me.”

Ben arched forward, and his cock dragged against her leg. That was an idea.

“Do you think you could come from this?” she asked him, tightening her grip on his hair. “Could you come from rocking against my leg like that?”

“Yeah, fuck, can I?” Ben asked, pulling back just long enough to ask before his mouth was back on her.

“Make me come first, and then you can try,” Leslie told him. She laughed when she felt him dial up his efforts; his impatience wasn’t very subtle, but she wouldn’t fault him for that. Soon, however, she felt the telltale curling in her belly as he edged her closer to her peak. She tightened her grip on the bar, not wanting to risk slipping as she came.

“Fuck, Ben,” she gasped, breathing hard as she came.

Ben lapped her through it, letting her clench down on his fingers until the aftershocks wore off. He slid his fingers out of her and straight into his mouth, and fuck if that didn’t almost make Leslie want to start round two. But they were on a timeline, so she’d have to shelve that thought for later.

“I’m already so close,” Ben gasped. He kept thrusting against her leg, his cock dragging against the side of her calf. The water didn’t make it quite slick enough, and she could see the frustration in his eyes as his cock kept stuttering, far from the smooth movements he wanted. She let him continue for a moment—the visual of him humping her leg desperately was really doing something for her—and then she decided to put him out of his misery.

“Stand up, Ben,” she told him.

Ben obeyed, but she could see how much he didn’t want to.

“Please,” he whined, his fists clenching as he tried his best not to touch himself. “You said I could come, please, Leslie, I was good.”

God, she loved him like this. He was desperate, begging, and the sight tempted her to keep denying him. He had been good, though, and he really did deserve a reward after last night.

“I’m still going to let you come,” she promised. She tugged him forward for a kiss and ended up grabbing his hips when he started to slip. “This is why we shouldn’t have shower sex,” she laughed, but Ben just kept grinding against her hip.

“Okay, okay,” she laughed again, reaching down to give his cock a squeeze. “I didn’t forget about you, I promise.” Once she was sure Ben wasn’t going to fall, she made him take a step back. She stepped out of the shower, dripping over the floor as she made her way to the medicine cabinet. She came back with a spare bottle of lube—and really, they should just start keeping lube in the shower, she thought. She slid lube over her thighs, getting herself nice and slick for Ben. When she got back into the shower, Ben had a hand on his cock. He was holding it at the base and not stroking, so she decided not to call him out on it.

She slicked him up with lube, giving him a few slow, long strokes. She could tell he was already close, so she pulled away once she thought he was slick enough. “Come here,” she said, pulling him against her chest. “Fuck my thighs. You can come whenever you’re ready.”

She kept her arms around him, keeping him steady as he started to rock his hips. She loved this, loved the drag of his cock against the smooth skin of her inner thighs, loved the way his head stuttered against her labia with every thrust. She wouldn’t come again, but the sensation was filling her with a nice hum of arousal. Nothing she couldn’t ignore, but nice all the same. Leslie sucked kisses down his neck, letting her fingernails dig into his back the way she knew he liked. It only took a few more thrusts, and then he was coming, moaning loudly against her shoulder.

“Good boy,” she said, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. Ben let out a choked groan, his spent cock twitching against her leg. “Now, let’s get cleaned up. Busy day ahead of us.”

After hours and hours of stress, the meeting with Chris went perfectly. Chris was enthusiastic about all of her ideas, and they left with a great plan for the revenue that the Harvest Festival had generated. Her chest felt full with confidence and excitement for the upcoming projects, which was one of her favorite feelings. She carried those warm feelings with her as they drove to JJ’s, holding Ben’s hand over the console of the car.

“Is it alright if I start?” Ben asked once they’d been served their usuals. Leslie let out a slow breath and nodded. “So a few weeks ago, I applied for a job at an accounting firm here in Pawnee. I had an interview a while back, and they gave me an offer. I think I’m going to take it.”

Leslie blinked. She’d thought through this conversation from a dozen angles, but none of them involved Ben having a job offer.

“So you want to stay?” she asked.

“Leslie, of course I want to stay,” Ben said with a frown. He reached out, taking her hand. Leslie wasn’t sure which one of them needed the reassurance more. “You’re my soulmate. I couldn’t—leaving you was never an option. At least, not for me.”

“You’ve put years into your career for the State,” Leslie frowned. She didn’t want to make the argument; she wanted Ben to stay, wanted to tell him to take the offer and stay. But she couldn’t let Ben do that without knowing he’d thought it through. She couldn’t let him throw away his life for her. She loved him too much for that.

“I did,” Ben said. His gaze never wavered. “And maybe I’ll find a way back into government eventually, but if it’s you or my job? I’m picking you every time.”

Leslie had to look away, blinking back tears she hadn’t realized she had. “Why didn’t you tell me about the job before?” she asked.

“I should have,” Ben said with a sigh. He started to pull his hand back, but she threaded their fingers together, not letting him go. “I was avoiding this conversation too, I think. I figured it would be easier to have once I had a solid offer.”

“You should have told me,” Leslie agreed. She could punish him for that, but it didn’t seem very fair. “But I should’ve started this conversation with you weeks ago instead of putting it off, so I can’t blame you for that.”

“Does that mean I can take the job?” Ben asked with a hint of a smile. “I can stay here?”

“Of course you can,” Leslie frowned. “You don’t need permission for that, Ben, but of course I want you to stay. I just… I just need to know that you’re staying for the right reasons. I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I won’t regret this,” Ben said, and Leslie could see the intense conviction in his eyes. “I could never regret being with you.”  
“Okay,” Leslie said with a shaky breath, suddenly overcome with the intensity of her emotions. She wiped her face, forcing herself to keep it together. “Then I guess you’re staying.”

Ben’s smile was blinding.

That Monday morning was the first time in months that Leslie didn’t commute to the office with Ben. It felt strange not to have him in the car with her, and even worse to have to give him a kiss goodbye at the front door instead of in the hallway outside of his office. He was excited for his first day, which she found very cute, but she still felt a little unsettled about the whole thing.

The day dragged on. Every time someone stepped into her office she half expected it to be Ben, and then she had to remind herself that the days of Ben dropping by in between meetings were over. She was so used to having him just down the hall. Distance made the heart grow fonder, they said, but Leslie wasn’t sure that she believed it.

She had worked herself into an awful mood by lunchtime. She decided to eat at her desk since she knew she’d take out her mood on her coworkers if she tried to be social. She didn’t look up when someone knocked on her door; she didn’t have any meetings scheduled for a few hours, so it was likely just one of her coworkers. “I’m on my lunch,” she said, scribbling something onto a post-it.

“That’s why I’m here,” Ben said, and her head snapped up.

“Ben! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, already making her way across the room to kiss him. It didn’t make any sense. They’d done the math earlier; Ben’s new office was too far away to comfortably have lunch together. There was no way he could make it there and back without being late.

“Well,” he said with a grin when he’d pulled back from the kiss, “I figured I should stop by and see my new office.”

“What?” Leslie blinked up at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Chris called me about an hour into my first day,” Ben grinned. “Apparently they need an Assistant City Manager. So I quit and came straight here.”

“Oh my god!” Leslie pulled him down for another kiss. The hint of tongue was probably inappropriate for the office, but she didn’t care.

“Wait,” she said after a moment, her brain finally catching up with them. “You quit on your first day?”

“They were surprisingly nice about it,” Ben said with a shrug. “Honestly, I don’t even think they’d blacklist me if I tried to go back.”

* * *

Ben’s first day back in City Hall was off to a great start. He’d thought the accounting firm was a good fit; the work was interesting, and his coworkers really seemed to like him. He wasn’t used to having people like him at work; being the budget-cutting bad guy made him more enemies than friends. But even though he felt a little guilty about quitting, he couldn’t deny how excited he was to be back in government. He’d spent weeks weighing a life with Leslie against a life in government, and now he’d somehow lucked out into getting to have both. He couldn’t stop smiling.

He couldn’t stop smiling until he got a call from the Pawnee Super Suites.

“Is this Ben Wyatt? You’ve been renting 208 month to month?” The woman on the other side sounded annoyed, even though she was the one calling him.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m calling to let you know that someone on your floor has reported bedbugs,” she said in the same deadpan voice. “We understand that this is an inconvenience, so we are offering two extra drink vouchers, valid between the hours of 4 and 6PM.”

“Um,” Ben said, swallowing back all of the less-than-polite responses on the tip of his tongue, “Are you calling an exterminator?”

Her response was not very encouraging. Ben was glad he hadn’t been to the motel in a while; there was a less than zero chance that he’d accidentally carried them back with him to Leslie’s place. The majority of his stuff was at Leslie’s, and he was more than willing to write off the rest of his clothing if it meant he wouldn’t have to deal with bedbugs. He shuddered at the thought.

He told Leslie about it that evening when they were getting ready for April and Andy’s dinner party. He wasn’t bringing the 3D capable television they’d requested, but he and Leslie had managed to put together a few different appetizers. That would have to do.

“So obviously, I told them I’d be checking out,” Ben told Leslie, glancing over at her as he closed the lid of the Tupperware.

“Obviously,” Leslie agreed. “Bedbugs aren’t something worth risking. Besides, if you’re going to be staying in Pawnee, it’s probably time to look into more permanent housing.”

“Exactly,” Ben grinned. He loved how he and Leslie were always on the same page.

“We can look for an apartment for you this weekend,” Leslie said as she tore off a piece of cling film. “Were you thinking of a studio or a one-bedroom?”

Huh. So apparently he and Leslie weren’t on the same page. “You want me to get an apartment?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I mean, you could always look for something bigger,” Leslie said with a frown. “But do you really think that’s necessary?”

“I didn’t think looking for an apartment at all was necessary,” Ben said. He turned around, focusing on cleaning up the counter so that he wouldn’t have to meet Leslie’s eyes. “I thought—I mean, Leslie, I’m basically already living here.”

There was a long pause. As each second passed, the sinking feeling in Ben’s stomach grew.

“Isn’t that a bit fast?”

“It wasn’t too fast for me to quit my job, was it?” Ben knew he wasn’t keeping the hurt from his voice. He felt the flush growing on his face, his head swirling with feelings of embarrassment and rejection.

“Ben,” Leslie reached out, forcing him to turn away from the counter and face her. “I don’t want us to rush into this, that’s all. We have our whole lives in front of us.”

Ben looked away, hating that his eyes were starting to feel a bit wet. “Isn’t the whole point spending our lives together?”

Leslie sighed. She took a step forward, pressing a kiss to his flushed cheek. “Why don’t we talk about this after the party, okay? When we have a little more time?”

“Okay,” Ben said with a shaky breath. Leslie pulled him against her chest, wrapping her arms around him. It helped push the feelings of not-good-enough down, but it would take more than that to fix his bruised ego.

They were quiet in the car until Leslie finally turned on the radio. She put in an R.E.M. CD, which Ben knew was supposed to be an olive branch. That made him smile, and by the time they got to April and Andy’s he wasn’t feeling quite as torn up about the whole thing.

Except, then they found out that they weren’t at a dinner party. They were at a wedding. It had stung enough thinking that April and Andy were living together—Ben was pretty sure that they’d only been dating for a few months. Chris and April were living together too, and they’d been together just as long as Ben and Leslie. The fact that Leslie didn’t want the same felt like it glaring in his face, and he had to go get a beer from the kitchen.

At least Leslie was consistent, Ben thought as he watched her frantically trying to stop the wedding. She was intense, snapping at Ben about how it was too early for April and Andy to get married, how they weren’t even soulmates. When it came out that they were, in fact, soulmates, that still wasn’t enough to calm Leslie down. “They have their whole lives ahead of them!” Leslie protested, and Ben couldn’t help thinking that she’d said the same thing to him an hour before.

He stood near the side of the room, barely engaging in small talk while his mind swirled. Leslie’s reaction to the wedding was starting to feel less and less about April and Andy and more about her relationship with Ben. Seeing her this panicked about the idea of two soulmates committing to each other had the anxiety and insecurity that had been dormant since the Harvest Festival back front and center in his mind.

When the ceremony started and Leslie hadn’t managed to stop it, Ben half expected her to go to the front and interrupt. But instead, she found her way to his side, sliding a hand to the crook of his elbow in quiet support. He glanced over at her as April walked down the aisle, trying to read her face. There was still fear there, but he thought he saw pride too. Despite how mixed up he felt, he still felt himself start to smile.

The wedding was beautiful. Ben had never felt particularly emotional at weddings, and he wasn’t all that close to either April or Andy. Even still, he felt himself get a little misty when they exchanged vows. Watching April slip Andy’s cuff off as he kneeled in front of him made him imagine Leslie doing the same to him. If tonight had proved anything, that probably wouldn’t happen until years in the future. But once Ben pushed past the initial hurt, he knew he could wait. He’d wait for Leslie, give her as much time as she needed to be ready for the next step. What mattered was that they got there, not how long it took.

They didn’t talk for the rest of the night. Leslie cried through the speeches, and she never strayed more than a step away from Ben. She kept her arm on him, never breaking the contact for even a moment. Ben felt his anxiety slipping away, reassured by every casually possessive touch.

When they got back into the car, Leslie didn’t turn on the radio. Ben reached out to do it, but Leslie pushed his hand away. “I want to talk,” she said.

“Okay,” Ben said. He sat up a little straighter, trying to prepare himself for what was coming. He wouldn’t cry. He could be an adult about this. He knew it wasn’t a rejection, even if it felt like one.

“I’m sorry,” Leslie said, which hadn’t been how he’d expected this conversation to start. “Ben, I don’t want you to ever think that I’m not completely committed to you.”

“I know that,” Ben said, and he meant it. “I… I was a little blindsided, so I responded more emotionally than I should have.”

“Don’t apologize for having emotions,” Leslie said firmly. She reached out, grabbing his hand and resting it on her lap. She paused for a moment, and Ben watched her as she tried to get her words in order. “I’ve had a lot of bad relationships,” she finally said. Ben knew that—he’d heard bits and pieces, usually in the form of a funny anecdote that wasn’t as funny the more he thought about it. “I’m sort of an expert on breakups. I’ve been broken up with in a hundred different ways. That’s easy. But making it work? That’s new.”

“This is new for me too,” Ben started, but Leslie shook her head.

“Let me get this out, okay?” she said, and Ben nodded. “I’m… I think I’m scared. I’m scared about moving too fast and scaring you away. I’m scared because I’ve never wanted someone so much. I’ve never cared so much about someone. I’ve never felt like—” Her voice started to waver. Ben gave her hand a little squeeze in support. Leslie swallowed, took a deep breath, and started again. “I’ve never felt like losing someone would break me. But losing you, Ben? I couldn’t bounce back from that.”

“I’m scared too,” Ben said in a quiet voice. “My parents… Well, you know what a mess their relationship was. Still is, honestly.” She didn’t know everything—didn’t know just how bad it had gotten at the end, especially—but he’d told her enough for her to understand what he meant. “I don’t want that to happen to us. I don’t want to become someone who’s… Who’s bitter and broken. But honestly? I think it’s worth the risk. Being with you is worth the risk.”

It meant a lot coming from him. Ben’s whole life was numbers. He was risk-averse and analytical. He didn’t let himself lead with his gut when he could lead by cold hard facts. That was the way he’d always been. Until Leslie.

“I think you’re worth the risk too,” Leslie said. She pulled up to her house, parking in the driveway and turning to look at him. “So I think—”

“Why don’t I get an apartment?” Ben interrupted. He didn’t want her to offer anything that she wasn’t actually ready for just because she knew he wanted it. He wanted them both to be on board. “You were right. We have our whole lives in front of us. Why don’t we reevaluate in six months and see where we’re at?”

“But Ben—” Leslie started, and Ben just shook his head.

“The thing is, Leslie,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could press a soft kiss to her lips, “I know that in six months, I’m still going to be just as in love with you as I am now. I don’t mind waiting.”  
It was the first time he’d said that, but he didn’t realize it until he heard Leslie’s sharp inhale. The next thing he knew, she was pulling him forward, kissing him with a hot rush of tongue and teeth.

“Ben,” she breathed, her voice thick with unshed tears. “I love you. Move in with me.”

She dragged him out of the car and to the house, already working open his pants. They got distracted against the door, and again on the stairs, kissing and grinding and desperately trying to get even closer to each other.

When she finally got him to the bedroom, she ordered him to strip while she headed to the drawer that she kept their toys in. Ben’s stomach flipped in excitement, trying to look around her shoulder to see what she was pulling out.

“Nope,” she said, turning her head to grin at him. “It’s a surprise. Climb on the bed, hold onto the headboard, and close your eyes.” Her voice left no room for argument.

Ben felt her small hands wrap around his wrists first, her thumb stroking over his soulmark when she’d slipped off his cuff. Then her hands were replaced with cloth, and he groaned at the realization that she was tying him up.

“Color?”

“So green,” Ben breathed, giving the restraints a tug to test them out. They weren’t too tight, and they were strong enough to let him really pull against them.

“I have another surprise,” Leslie told him. He could hear the smile in her voice. She crawled over him, leaning down to kiss him. She pulled away once he was arching up into it. Her lips trailed down his neck, nipping a few times on her way to his nipples. Her teeth latched on one while her fingers twisted at another, working them both up to angry red peaks.

“Fuck,” Ben gasped. Suddenly her fingers were replaced with the tight squeeze of a clamp, just on the edge of too much. “Green, green, green,” he moaned before she could stop to check in. He heard Leslie laugh, and then his other nipple was caught in the same red-hot agony. Ben was trembling underneath her, his cock throbbing even without being touched.

“Do you have any idea how much I’ve thought about this?” Leslie asked, flicking the chain connecting the clamps to make it pull deliciously. “I’ve gotten myself off imagining how pretty you’d look in these clamps since the day I bought them.”

Ben let out a broken moan. His arms struggled against the restraints, trying to reach for Leslie instinctively.

“Not yet,” Leslie said, pressing a kiss to the side of the clamp. “I want you to get me off,” she told him. He felt her move, the bed shifting underneath them, and then there was warm skin on either side of his face as she straddled his head. “Can you snap your fingers for me? Show me how you’ll safeword if you need to.”

Ben couldn’t resist leaning up, desperate to taste her.

“Did I say you could do that?” Leslie asked with a sharp tug to the clamps that had him howling. “I asked you to snap. If you can’t do that, then we can’t do this.”

Ben snapped, stammering apologies against her thigh. The apologies quickly turned into begging, and then she was finally settling down over his face.

Ben’s world narrowed until it was nothing but the sharp taste of her on his tongue, the firm press of her thighs against his face, the throbbing burn of his nipples, and the way her moans were echoing through the bedroom. He felt desperate to get her off, but it was more than that. He loved her— _god_ he loved her—and he said that with every wet slide of his tongue.

“So good, so good,” Leslie murmured as she rocked against him. “Love you, you’re so good, my good boy—”

Her thighs squeezed hard, nearly cutting off his air as she started to come. Her finger snagged the chain on his clamps, giving him a sharp tug that had him crying out against her cunt. The pain made his head spin, fog filling his senses and dragging him away.

“...sweetheart, can you open your eyes?” Ben heard her voice from beneath the loud hum in his ears. It took every ounce of his effort, but he managed to drag them open.

“Good boy,” Leslie praised, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She pulled him up so that he was sitting, curling her arms around him. That was when he noticed that his restraints were gone, along with the clamps on his nipples. When had that happened?

“Can you take a sip for me?” Leslie asked, and then there was a glass of water being pressed to his lips. Ben took a sip and then ended up draining half of the glass when he realized how dry his mouth had become.

“Did I..?” Ben frowned, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t hard anymore.

“You came from the clamps.” Her awe was nearly palpable, and Ben felt himself flush with a mixture of embarrassment and pride.

“I’ve never come untouched before,” he blinked, a little shocked at the realization that it was possible.  
“We are definitely trying that again,” Leslie grinned.

Once they were both cleaned up, she turned off the light, pulling him close.

“I love you so much,” Ben whispered. He slid her hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

“I love you too,” Leslie said, her words ghosting against his neck. “I can’t wait for you to move in with me.”

Ben murmured his agreement, settling into sleep. Except…

“Actually,” he said, turning to look at Leslie, “Maybe we should find a place together. I love you, Leslie, but your house is kind of a scary nightmare hoarder nest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're finally done! thank you to everyone who followed this fic :)


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